Description

An oral history conducted by Gloria Rhodes with Bishop George McKinney on June 19, 2010. McKinney started St. Stephen's Church of God in Christ in San Diego in 1962 with a vision for the church to be a lighthouse in the community, teaching and equipping people to live abundantly. Accordingly, St. Stephen's founded many civic institutions over the years including (but not limited to) the Southeast Counseling and Consulting Services, the St. Stephen's Day Care Center, the St. Stephen's Christian School, American Urban University, the St. Stephen's Retirement Center, and Jean C. McKinney Manor. McKinney has been recognized numerous times, including being named San Diego County's "Social Worker of the Year" in 1963, "Mr. San Diego" by the San Diego Rotary Club in 1995, and "Race Reconciliation Man of the Year" by the National Association of Evangelicals in 2001. He also received the Peace Maker Award presented by the San Diego Rotary in 2007. In his oral history, McKinney reflects on growing up the son of a sharecropper in a strictly segregated society, his education and early jobs, and his calling to come to California. McKinney also mentions his impressions attending Martin Luther King's first speech in San Diego in 1960, as well as his perceptions of the relationship between blacks and the police department at that time. He also details the establishment of St. Stephen's Church of God in Christ, with an emphasis on the accomplishments of the church, particularly in the form of social institutions such as a school and retirement center. He mentions his role models, what he might have done differently in life, and changes he's witnessed in San Diego over the last 50 years. This oral history was made possible by a grant from the President's Leadership Fund and is part of Creating Community: African Americans in San Diego. Names mentioned during the interview include: Martin Luther King, Jr., Jean McKinney, Barbara Jo Warren McKinney, Grant McKinney, Glenn McKinney, Rosie Thompson McKinney, Ruth Green, Leon Williams, Percy Steele, Carrol W. Waymon, John Williams (San Diego police), J. A. Blake, Bishop Charles Blake, Jackie Edwards, and Bishop Gilbert E. Patterson.