99% Invisible Soul City
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Apr 6, 2016 Explore the visionary idea of Soul City, a proposed self-determined community for Black Americans in the late 1960s. Delve into the profound impact of civil rights leader Floyd B. McKissick and his ambition to empower through economic opportunity. Discover the contrasting ideologies within the Black Power movement and the challenges Soul City faced, from infrastructure issues to media misrepresentation. Reflect on McKissick's legacy and the continued importance of recognizing influential yet often overlooked figures in history.
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Urban Crisis Spurs New Cities
- 1960s American cities faced severe infrastructure, crime, and racial crises with white flight to suburbs.
- Urban planners considered starting new cities as a solution to these complex problems.
Soul City as Black Opportunity
- Civil rights leader Floyd McKissick proposed Soul City, a new North Carolina town for black opportunity and empowerment.
- Early supporters felt like pioneers on a mission to build a self-determined community.
Soul City's Separatism Questioned
- Soul City faced skepticism over separatism but was meant to foster black majority leadership, not exclusion.
- McKissick compared Soul City to ethnic enclaves like Chinatown, emphasizing cultural pride.