Charles Kenzie Steele

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Rev. Charles Kenzie Steele (born February 17, 1914(1914-02-17) 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.

1 Biography
2 Tallahassee bus boycott
3 Legacy
4 References

[edit] 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. 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 Baptist Church. Steele met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was on his way to Tallahassee.

[edit] Tallahassee bus boycott

The Tallahassee bus boycott began in May, 1956, during the Montgomery bus boycott. 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. 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.