Rev. Charles Kenzie Steele (born February 17, 1914 in Bluefield, West Virginia; died 1980 in Tallahassee) was a preacher and a civil rights activist. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. He was one of the main organizers of the Tallahassee bus boycott, and a prominent member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference ( SCLC) is an American Civil rights organization
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Biography
Steele was the son of a coal miner, and at a young age he knew that he wanted to be a preacher and he first started preaching when he was 15 years old. Steele moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 1938 to attend Morehouse College. Morehouse College is a private, all-male, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. He then began preaching in Toccoa and Augusta, Georgia and also in Montgomery, Alabama. Toccoa is a city in Stephens County, Georgia, United States located approximately 50 miles from Athens and approximately 90 miles northeast Augusta Georgia is a city in Richmond County, Georgia, United States. Montgomery (məntˈgəmɜriː is the Capital, second most populous city and the 4th most populous metropolitan area in the Southern U In 1952 Steele moved to Tallahassee when he was 38 years old, where he started preaching at Bethel Baptist Church. Steele met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was on his way to Tallahassee. Martin Luther King Jr ( January 15, 1929 April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, Activist and prominent leader
Tallahassee bus boycott
The Tallahassee bus boycott began in May, 1956, during the Montgomery bus boycott. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a political and social protest campaign started in 1955 in Montgomery Alabama, intended to oppose Like other bus boycotts during the civil rights movement in America, it started because black people were forced to ride in the back of the bus, and when two students refused to give up their seat to a white woman they were arrested. See also Protests of 1968 Historically the civil rights movement was a concentrated period of time around the world of approximately twenty years (1960-1980 in The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An organization was formed to protest and boycott against the city bus system. The organization was called Inter-civic council and Steele was elected president. Steele and other protesters boycotted the system by starting car pools and the bus system had stopped for the first time in 17 years on July 1. Steele was arrested many times during this period. The people in Tallahassee thought that the protesters' demands were outrageous. Steele and the other protesters met a lot of rich and influential opposition. The City commissioners were determined in opposition to make the buses integrated. The bus system was integrated two years later. Steele was also apart of many other protest, marches, and boycotts, where he helped to accomplish integration in many public places. Steele helped Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. organize the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957. Steele died from bone marrow cancer in 1980 at the age of 66 in Tallahassee.
Legacy
Steele's son, Charles Kenzie Steele, Jr. is the current president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Charles Kenzie Steele Jr (born August 3, 1946 in Tuscaloosa Alabama) is an American businessman politician and civil rights leader was The Southern Christian Leadership Conference ( SCLC) is an American Civil rights organization
References
McMullen, Cary. Most Important Floridians of The 20th Century. Online Available http://www.theledger.com/static/top50/pages/steele.html,1998
C. K. Steele. Online Available http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0921231.HTML,2007
Out Of The Past. Online Available http://www.rileymuseum.org/out_past/dreamweaver/famouspeople/famous.htm
Reverend Charles Kenzie Steele. Online Available http://www.africanamericans.com/CharlesSteele.htm
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