Floyd McKissick
| Floyd McKissick | |
|---|---|
| 2nd National Director of the Congress of Racial Equality | |
|
In office 1966–1968 |
|
| Preceded by | James Farmer |
| Succeeded by | Wilfred Ussery |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 9, 1922 Asheville, North Carolina |
| Died | April 28, 1991 (aged 69) Soul City, North Carolina |
| Spouse(s) | Evelyn Williams |
| Children | Floyd McKissick Jr. Jocelyn Andree Charmaine |
| Alma mater | Morehouse College |
Floyd Bixler McKissick (March 9, 1922 – April 28, 1991) became the first African-American student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Law School. In 1966 he became leader of CORE, the Congress of Racial Equality, taking over from James L. Farmer, Jr. A supporter of Black Power, he turned CORE into a more radical movement. In 1968, McKissick left CORE to found Soul City in Warren County, North Carolina. He endorsed Richard Nixon for president that year, and the federal government, under President Nixon, supported Soul City. He became a state district court judge in 1990 and died on April 28, 1991. He was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
Politician and attorney Floyd McKissick, Jr., is his son.
Floyd Bixler McKissick Sr. was born in Asheville, North Carolina, the son of Ernest Boyce and Magnolia Thompson McKissick. His participation with civil rights began with his NAACP membership at the age of 12. As a 13-year-old Boy Scout helping to direct traffic during a roller-skating tournament in his hometown, McKissick was pushed to the ground by a white police officer; this incident secured his involvement in civil rights. McKissick states, “I've been active in North Carolina politics I think since I was about sixteen or seventeen, in high school.” One of his early protests was in his hometown, Asheville, NC, because the city refused to permit actor Paul Robeson to speak in the city auditorium in the 1930s. He graduated from high school in 1939, and in 1940 went to Atlanta to attend Morehouse College. After enrolling at Morehouse, McKissick joined the U.S. Army and during World War II he served in the European Theater as a sergeant. After the war, he returned to Morehouse College where he graduated in 1948.
McKissick was involved with an early freedom ride that confronted racial segregation in interstate transportation in the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation. He was the president of the Atlanta University chapter of the Progressive Party during his time at Morehouse College, a participant in voter registration, and also a supporter of Henry Wallace's 1948 presidential campaign.
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