Floyd B. McKissick

Floyd B. McKissick
NC General Assembly · Public domain · source
Name	Floyd B. McKissick
Birth name	Floyd Bixler McKissick
Birth date	9 March 1922
Birth place	Asheville, North Carolina
Death date	28 April 1991
Death place	Durham, North Carolina
Education	Morehouse College, North Carolina Central University School of Law
Occupation	Lawyer, civil rights leader
Known for	National Director of CORE, Black Power advocate, Founder of Soul City
Party	Democratic

Floyd B. McKissick. Floyd Bixler McKissick was a prominent American civil rights lawyer and activist who played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s. He is best known for his leadership of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), where he steered the organization toward the philosophy of Black Power and Black nationalism, and for his later work in pioneering community development and economic empowerment projects for African Americans.

Early life and education

Floyd Bixler McKissick was born on March 9, 1922, in Asheville, North Carolina. He was raised in a segregated society, which profoundly shaped his worldview. After serving in the United States Army during World War II as a sergeant in the European theater, he attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, a historically Black institution known for producing leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.. McKissick then pursued a legal education, becoming the first African American to enroll at the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1951. After facing significant resistance, he transferred and earned his law degree from the North Carolina Central University School of Law in 1952.

Legal career and activism

After passing the bar examination, McKissick established a law practice in Durham, North Carolina, where he became a leading civil rights attorney. He provided crucial legal defense for activists participating in sit-ins and Freedom Rides across the Southern United States. Notably, he represented the Greensboro Four following their historic 1960 sit-in at a Woolworth's lunch counter. McKissick also worked closely with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Legal Defense Fund. His legal battles were instrumental in challenging Jim Crow laws and enforcing the Brown v. Board of Education decision.

Leadership of CORE

In 1966, McKissick was elected National Director of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), succeeding James Farmer. His tenure marked a significant ideological shift for the organization. Moving away from its foundational commitment to nonviolence and racial integration, McKissick aligned CORE with the burgeoning Black Power movement. He emphasized Black self-defense, political autonomy, and cultural pride. Under his leadership, CORE supported the creation of independent Black political parties and endorsed the presidential campaign of Eldridge Cleaver of the Black Panther Party in 1968. This shift caused tension with more traditional civil rights groups and led to a decline in white liberal support for CORE.

Advocacy for Black Power and economic development

McKissick was a forceful advocate for Black economic power. He argued that political rights were meaningless without economic independence and community control. His most ambitious project was Soul City, a planned community in Warren County, North Carolina, conceived as a model for Black economic self-sufficiency. Founded in 1969, the project received a $14 million loan guarantee from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development under the New Communities Act. McKissick envisioned it as a thriving town with its own industries, housing, and schools. Although it ultimately failed to reach its full scale due to political opposition and financial difficulties, Soul City remains a landmark experiment in community development.

Later career and political involvement

After stepping down from CORE in 1968, McKissick remained active in public life. He continued to develop Soul City and became increasingly involved in mainstream politics. In 1972, he switched his party affiliation to the Republican Party, citing disillusionment with the Democratic Party's approach to urban and economic issues. He was appointed as a district court judge in North Carolina in 1990 by Governor James G. Martin. McKissick also served on the board of the University of North Carolina and remained a vocal commentator on racial and economic justice until his death.

Legacy and impact

Floyd B. McKissick's legacy is that of a pragmatic activist who bridged the litigation and direct-action phases of the Civil Rights Movement with the era of Black Power and economic nationalism. His legal work protected countless activists, and his leadership of CORE reflected the evolving demands for Black autonomy in the late 1960s. While controversial, his advocacy for economic development, exemplified by Soul City, highlighted a critical, often under-addressed dimension of the freedom struggle. His papers are archived at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his contributions are recognized as a vital part of the broader narrative of the fight for African-American equality in the United States.