ABSTRACT
As African Americans migrated into Birmingham, the church served not only their moral and spiritual needs but also was in the forefront of establishing institutions to meet their physical and secular needs in a segregated city. Using their churches as a base, they established institutions to fill the economic, educational, and welfare needs of African Americans in the city. In the segregated community that African Americans built in Birmingham, the church supported the other institutions that were vital to the community, especially women's clubs and fraternal organizations. African American churches supported the small but important black business community in Birmingham. William R. Pettiford's educational leadership was most evident in the establishment of the first African American high school in Birmingham. By the time of Pettiford's death in 1914, the Alabama Penny Savings Bank was the largest and strongest African American owned bank in the United States with a capitalization of $100,000 and an annual business exceeding $500,000.
