Charles Kenzie Steele
Encyclopedia
Rev. Charles Kenzie Steele (born February 17, 1914 in Bluefield, West Virginia
; died 1980 in Tallahassee) was a preacher and a civil rights activist. He was one of the main organizers of the Tallahassee bus boycott, and a prominent member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
.
in 1938 to attend Morehouse College
. He then began preaching in Toccoa
and Augusta, Georgia
and also in Montgomery, Alabama
. In 1952 Steele moved to Tallahassee when he was 38 years old, where he started preaching at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. Steele met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was on his way to Tallahassee.
. 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. 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.
He was also the lead plaintiff in the school desegregation suit which led to the desegregation of public schools in Leon County.
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.
He was made the First Vice President under Dr. King at the time of the formation of SCLC.
Steele died from bone marrow cancer in 1980 at the age of 66 in Tallahassee.
Florida State University conferred on Steele the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree in 1980 --- the first to an African American, and the first to be bestowed in fifty-six years from that school.
The Bethel Baptist Church in Tallahassee, where Steele was pastor for twenty-eight years, has established a charter school which was named in his and former Governor Leroy Collins' honor: The Steele-Collins Charter School
Bluefield, West Virginia
Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 10,447 at the 2010 census. It is also the core city of the Bluefield WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,342.-Geography & Climate:...
; died 1980 in Tallahassee) was a preacher and a civil rights activist. He was one of the main organizers of the Tallahassee bus boycott, and a prominent member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
.
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, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
in 1938 to attend Morehouse College
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....
. He then began preaching in Toccoa
Toccoa, Georgia
Toccoa is a city in Stephens County, Georgia, United States located approximately from Athens and approximately northeast of Atlanta. The population was 9,323 at the 2000 census...
and Augusta, Georgia
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
and also in Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
. In 1952 Steele moved to Tallahassee when he was 38 years old, where he started preaching at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. Steele met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was on his way to Tallahassee.
Tallahassee bus boycott
The Tallahassee bus boycott began in May, 1956, during the Montgomery bus boycottMontgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a political and social protest campaign that started in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, intended to oppose the city's policy of racial segregation on its public transit system. Many important figures in the civil rights movement were involved in the boycott,...
. Like other bus boycotts during the civil rights movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 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. 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.
He was also the lead plaintiff in the school desegregation suit which led to the desegregation of public schools in Leon County.
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.
He was made the First Vice President under Dr. King at the time of the formation of SCLC.
Steele died from bone marrow cancer in 1980 at the age of 66 in Tallahassee.
Legacy
When the City created a new bus terminal, it was named after Rev. Steele and a statue of him (by sculptor David Lowe) was placed on the NE corner of the terminal. At the time it was the only statue of a person in Tallahassee, the state capital.Florida State University conferred on Steele the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree in 1980 --- the first to an African American, and the first to be bestowed in fifty-six years from that school.
The Bethel Baptist Church in Tallahassee, where Steele was pastor for twenty-eight years, has established a charter school which was named in his and former Governor Leroy Collins' honor: The Steele-Collins Charter School