Congress of Racial Equality

Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), American civil rights organization founded in 1942 by the American civil rights leader James Leonard Farmer. The stated purpose of the organization is to create a society in which “race or creed will be neither asset nor handicap.” CORE protects the rights of black Americans and seeks equal job, housing, and education opportunities for them. CORE has organized sit-ins to end segregation in restaurants and on public transportation facilities, has sponsored voter registration and voter education drives, and has exerted political pressure on lawmakers by means of large public demonstrations. Farmer, who was national director until 1966, advocated a policy of change through nonviolent direct action, such as the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, of which CORE was a sponsor. After Farmer's retirement, he was succeeded first by Floyd B. McKissick and then in 1968 by Roy E. Innis. CORE espouses black power, defining it as the mobilization of the black community into a political, social, and economic bloc. The national headquarters of the organization is in New York City.

Reviewed by: Congress of Racial Equality