Floyd McKissick

Floyd McKissick
Bill Andrews for The Worker · Public domain · source
Name	Floyd McKissick
Birth date	9 March 1922
Birth place	Asheville, North Carolina
Death date	28 April 1991
Death place	Durham, North Carolina
Alma mater	Morehouse College, North Carolina College of Law
Occupation	Lawyer, civil rights activist
Known for	National Director of CORE, Black Power advocate, founder of Soul City, North Carolina
Party	Democratic (later Republican)

Floyd McKissick. Floyd McKissick was an American civil rights activist, lawyer, and prominent advocate for Black Power. He is best known for his leadership of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) during its shift towards black nationalism and for his ambitious, though ultimately unrealized, project to build the new town of Soul City, North Carolina as a model of black economic self-determination.

Early life and education

Floyd Bixler McKissick was born in Asheville, North Carolina, in 1922. He served in the United States Army during World War II as a sergeant in the European Theater. After the war, he pursued higher education, attending Morehouse College, a historically black institution in Atlanta, Georgia. He later earned his law degree from the North Carolina College of Law (now North Carolina Central University School of Law) in 1951. His early career as a lawyer in Durham, North Carolina, was dedicated to civil rights litigation, where he defended participants in sit-in protests and other demonstrations.

Involvement with CORE

McKissick became deeply involved with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in the early 1960s. He participated in the 1961 Freedom Rides, challenging segregation in interstate bus travel across the Southern United States. His legal background made him a valuable asset to the organization, and he rose through its ranks. In 1963, he was appointed CORE's first national chairman. During this period, CORE, under leaders like James Farmer, was a key organization in the Civil Rights Movement, employing tactics of nonviolence and direct action.

Leadership and Black Power advocacy

In 1966, McKissick succeeded James Farmer as the National Director of CORE. His tenure marked a decisive ideological shift for the organization away from the integrationism and nonviolent philosophy associated with Martin Luther King Jr. and towards the principles of Black Power. McKissick argued that political and economic power, rather than moral suasion alone, was necessary for achieving true equality. He aligned CORE more closely with the rhetoric of Stokely Carmichael of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the philosophy of black nationalism. This shift led to strained relations with more traditional civil rights groups and a decline in white liberal support and funding for CORE.

Economic development and Soul City

A central tenet of McKissick's philosophy was black economic empowerment. His most ambitious project was the creation of Soul City, North Carolina, a planned community in Warren County. Conceived in the late 1960s, Soul City was intended to be a majority-black, economically self-sufficient town that would provide jobs, housing, and business opportunities. McKissick secured a $14 million loan guarantee from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development under the New Communities Act of 1968. Despite initial construction and attracting some industry, the project faced immense challenges including political opposition, allegations of mismanagement, and the broader economic difficulties of the 1970s. Soul City never reached its envisioned scale and the project ultimately failed.

Later career and legal work

After stepping down from CORE leadership in 1968, McKissick remained active in business and law. In a notable political shift, he converted to the Republican Party in 1972, citing disillusionment with the Democratic Party's approach to economic issues affecting black communities. In 1990, he was appointed a North Carolina district court judge by Governor James G. Martin, a position he held until his death. This appointment made him one of the first black Republican judges in the state's modern era.

Legacy and impact on civil rights

Floyd McKissick's legacy is complex. He represents a critical transition within the broader Civil Rights Movement from a focus on legal integration and nonviolent protest to an emphasis on black self-reliance, political power, and economic development. While his leadership contributed to the fragmentation of the older civil rights coalition, it also gave forceful voice to the frustrations of many in urban black communities. His Soul City project, though a failure, remains a significant symbol of the era's aspirations for black-controlled economic institutions. His later career as a judge demonstrated a continued commitment to public service within established institutions. He is remembered as a pragmatic and determined figure who advocated for black advancement through means that emphasized power, enterprise, and conservative principles of self-help.

Category:American civil rights activists Category:American lawyers Category:1991 deaths Category:1922 births