McKissick, Floyd Bixler (1922-1991), was a black American civil rights leader. He became known for his efforts to help blacks gain political and economic control over their communities.
McKissick was born in Asheville, North Carolina, on March 9, 1922. He received a law degree from North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central University) in 1951. Later, as a lawyer, he won lawsuits that allowed his children to enter previously all-white schools.
In 1960, McKissick became legal counsel for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), a civil rights organization. He was its national chairman from 1963 to 1966 and its national director from 1966 to 1968.
After leaving CORE, McKissick worked to help blacks obtain positions of power in cities where they made up a large part of the population. He also formed a company to promote black business projects.
In 1974, McKissick’s company began building Soul City, a new town near Henderson, North Carolina. McKissick withdrew from the project in 1980 and returned to practicing law. In 1990, he was appointed to serve as a judge in the Ninth Judicial District in North Carolina. McKissick died on April 28, 1991.
