Floyd McKissick was born in 1922 in Asheville, North Carolina. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and later graduated from Morehouse College in 1948. Initially denied admission to the University of North Carolina School of Law because of his race, McKissick enrolled at the North Carolina College School of Law. Following a lawsuit and a ruling by the United States Court of Appeals, he was granted admission to UNC’s School of Law. After graduating, he established a law firm in Durham, North Carolina, in 1955, where he handled property and insurance disputes, criminal cases, and primarily focused on civil rights litigation. In 1963, McKissick was elected as the national chairman of CORE (Congress of Racial Equality). He left CORE in 1968. Later, he was appointed as a judge in the Ninth Judicial District in North Carolina. Floyd McKissick died in 1991.
The collection includes a reel-to-reel audio tape of McKissick speaking at the 1967 ECRO (East Central Regional Organization) conference held at the University of Pittsburgh. The audio begins with Jim Cunningham introducing McKissick, followed by McKissick’s keynote address, and then a question-and-answer session with the audience and other panelists.
In the speech, McKissick discusses the shift from civil rights to Black Power, the differences between the two movements, the economic and educational disparities faced by the Black community, and the need for political and economic power. McKissick also calls on social workers to take action to support and understand the dynamics of the Black community. Additionally, he discusses the CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) program, voter education, housing, and the fight for equality.
The audio also features a question-and-answer segment with other conference speakers and the audience. Another speaker, Barbara Goldberg, emphasizes the importance of social workers’ understanding and addressing systemic issues firsthand.
The recording has gaps and occasionally cuts in and out; additionally, some speakers and audience members are inaudible and unidentifiable.
Researchers are advised to contact Rhode Island College Special Collections for questions regarding permissions to reproduce, distribute, or otherwise publish material from this collection. Although Rhode Island College has physical ownership of the collection, it does not necessarily hold literary rights. It is the researcher's responsibility to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
The collection is open for research.
Floyd McKissick ECRO conference keynote address, MSS-0167, Special Collections, James P. Adams Library, Rhode Island College.
The collection consists of a single item and thus has no order.
The collection was donated to Special Collections in 1981 by Richard Graefe of the Council for Community Services in Providence, RI. Graefe attended McKissick's speech at the University of Pittsburgh; however, it is unclear whether Graefe recorded the speech himself or had someone else record it on his behalf.
The collection was described by Veronica L. Denison, Digital Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, in 2026.
Works used in preparation of inventory:
“Floyd McKissick.” Wikipedia, October 3, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_McKissick.
“Floyd McKissick to Address ECRO Conference.” Floyd McKissick To Address Ecro Conference | Digital Pitt. Accessed January 9, 2026. https://digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt%3Apittpressreleases19670242/viewer#page/1/mode/1up.
“The Pitt News.” The Pitt news | Digital Pitt. Accessed January 9, 2026. https://digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt%3A31735062166511/viewer#page/1/mode/2up.
The collection has been digitized and is available via RIC Digital Collections by searching “Floyd McKissick.”