Union Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church was founded in 1881 by former slaves Gadson Draw, Frank Felder, Eli Madison, Kate Marshall, and Killis Marshall. Rev. Solomon S. Seay, Sr., pastor from 1928-1929, was a stalwart in the Civil Rights Movement and served as the third president of the Montgomery Improvement Association. Dr. Hagalyn Seay Wilson grew up in the church, became the first African-American female physician to practice medicine in Montgomery, and was a founder of the Fairview Medical Center in 1975. Another church member was a founder of the first African-American surgeon group and was the first African-American man elected to the Montgomery County Board of Education. Longtime member Inez Steele Taylor taught classes to help citizens pass the literacy test required to vote before the Voting Rights Act of 1965. After Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, four student church members integrated the previously segregated Robert E. Lee High School in 1965. In the 1960s, the church served as a designated voting precinct for all elections and remains so today. Many church members fought for equality during the Civil Rights Movement, and their contribution is still felt today.