Floyd McKissick, Jr. recounts 1963 NC debate between his father and Malcolm X
Back in the spring of 1963, civil rights leader Floyd McKissick, Sr. invited Malcolm X to the Triangle for a debate about assimilation versus integration within the fight for equality. The debate almost didn't happen when the city of Durham pulled its support and venue -- eventually a new venue was found, and McKissick Sr.’s young son Floyd McKissick Jr. was among those in the audience.
McKissick Jr. recounts a childhood framed by the movement: from the steady stream of civil rights leaders visiting his family home who were “like uncles," to supporters sitting on his porch at night with shotguns to protect him and his family. McKissick Jr. talks with WRAL anchor and reporter Ken Smith about his early experiences on picket lines and on the front lines of school integration, and how his childhood of activism led to a lifetime of public service.
