Floyd B. McKissick Papers, 1940s-1980s

Summary

Creator:

McKissick, Floyd B. (Floyd Bixler), 1922-

Abstract:

Floyd B. McKissick (1922-1991) was born in Asheville, N.C. He was an attorney, businessman, and civil rights leader. McKissick married Evelyn Williams, with whom he had four children: Joycelyn; Andree; Floyd, Jr.; and Charmaine.

The collection contains materials documenting Floyd B. McKissick's work as an lawyer, businessman, and civil rights leader. Included are items pertaining to his law practice in Durham, N.C.; his service, beginning in 1966, as national director of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE); his work as advisor to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); and his interests in politics and education. Many items relate to Soul City, N.C., a town owned and operated by African Americans near Warrenton, N.C. Included are items describing the impact of Soul City on rural Warren County, N.C., and Vance County, N.C. Among the companies documented are McKissick Enterprises of New York and North Carolina; City Development, Inc.; HealthCo, Inc.; Madison and McKissick Development, Inc.; McKissick S.C. Associates; the Soul City Foundation and other Soul City companies; and the Warren Regional Planning Corporation. There are also a few items relating to the McKissick family and to his affiliation with the Republican Party at the local, state, and national levels.

Extent:

157,000 items (126.0 linear feet)

Language:

Materials in English

Library Catalog Link:

View UNC library catalog record for this item

Background

Biographical / historical:

Floyd B. McKissick (1922-1991), the son of Ernest Boyce and Magnolia Thompson McKissick, was born in Asheville, N.C., on 9 March 1922. He earned his undergraduate and law degrees from North Carolina Central University. During the course of his educational pursuits, he also became the first Black man to attend the Law School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

McKissick was a noted attorney, businessman and civil rights champion. Through his professional career in North Carolina and elsewhere, he had affiliations with some of America's most prominent and influential personalities. He served as national chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and later became national director of that organization. McKissick also held an advisory role with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and he was the founder and president of McKissick Enterprises. He was a much-sought-after speaker, as well as the author of Three-Fifths of a Man (1969) and numerous other writings.

During the early 1970s, McKissick founded Soul City near Warrenton, N.C. The new township was designed to promote economic empowerment of African Americans and was often referred to as the "first Freestanding Community in modern history."

Floyd McKissick and his wife, Evelyn Williams McKissick, had four children: Joycelyn; Andree; Floyd, Jr.; and Charmaine. McKissick died in his home state on 28 April 1991; he was 69 years of age.

Scope and content:

Materials documenting Floyd B. McKissick's work as an lawyer, businessman, and civil rights leader. Included are items pertaining to his law practice in Durham, N.C.; his service, beginning in 1966, as national director of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE); his work as advisor to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); and his interests in politics and education. Many items relate to Soul City, N.C., a town owned and operated by African Americans near Warrenton, N.C. Included are items describing the impact of Soul City on rural Warren County, N.C., and Vance County, N.C. Among the companies documented are McKissick Enterprises of New York and North Carolina; City Development, Inc.; HealthCo, Inc.; Madison and McKissick Development, Inc.; McKissick S.C. Associates; the Soul City Foundation and other Soul City companies; and the Warren Regional Planning Corporation. There are also a few items relating to the McKissick family and to his affiliation with the Republican Party at the local, state, and national levels.

Please note that the arrangement of materials in this collection was partially determined by original order as received. Because of that, researchers should be sure to check all possible locations for materials of interest. Also note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.

Acquisition information:

Received from, and held jointly with, the African American Resources Collection, North Carolina Central University, in April 1998 (Acc. 98081).

Processing information:

Processed by: Teresa Church, May 2001

Encoded by: Teresa Church, May 2001

This collection was processed with support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Microfilm added January 2007.

Microfilm removed August 2016.

Diacritics and other special characters have been omitted from this finding aid to facilitate keyword searching in web browsers.

Sensitive materials statement:

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.

Related

Separated material:

• Photographs (PF-4930/1-42)
• Photograph albums (PA-4930/1-7)
• Oversize materials (OP-4930/1-358)
• Rolled items (R-4930/1-5)

Indexed terms

Subjects:

African American business enterprises--North Carolina--History--20th century.
African American civic leaders--North Carolina--History--20th century.
African American families--North Carolina.
African American lawyers--North Carolina--History--20th century.
African American leadership--History--20th century.
African American leadership--North Carolina.
African Americans--North Carolina--Durham.
African Americans--North Carolina--History--20th century.
City planning--North Carolina--Soul City.
Civic leaders--North Carolina--History--20th century.
Civil rights movements--North Carolina--History--20th century.
Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century.
Families--North Carolina--Social life and customs.
New towns--North Carolina--Soul City--Planning.

Names:

City Development, Inc.
Congress of Racial Equality.
HealthCo, Inc.
Madison and McKissick Development, Inc.
McKissick Enterprises.
McKissick S.C. Associates.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Republican Party (N.C.)--History--20th century.
Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )--History--20th century.
Soul City Foundation.
Warren Regional Planning Corporation.
McKissick family.
McKissick, Floyd B. (Floyd Bixler), 1922-

Places:

Durham (N.C.)--History.
Soul City (N.C.)
Warren County (N.C.)--History.
Vance County (N.C.)--History.

Restrictions to access:

No restrictions. Open for research.

Restrictions to use:

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], in the Floyd B. McKissick Papers #4930, Southern Historical Collection of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the African American Resources Collection of North Carolina Central University.

Location of this collection:

North Carolina Central University Collection/Southern Historical Collection

Louis Round Wilson Library

200 South Road

Chapel Hill, NC 27515

Contact:

(919) 962-3765

wilsonlibrary@unc.edu