Roy Innis

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Roy Innis (June 6, 1934 – January 8, 2017) was an American activist and politician who led the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) from 1968 until his death. He was born in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, and moved to New York City with his mother in 1947. He finished high school at Stuyvesant in 1952, served in the U.S. Army, and studied chemistry at the City College of New York. He later worked as a research chemist before becoming involved in civil rights work.

Innis joined CORE’s Harlem chapter in 1963 and led the education committee, promoting community-controlled education and Black empowerment. He became Harlem CORE’s chairman in 1965 and pushed for an independent Harlem Board of Education. In 1967 he was the first resident fellow at MARC and was elected the organization’s Second National Vice-chairman. He also helped found the Harlem Commonwealth Council, a community development group. From 1968 to 1972 he co-published the Manhattan Tribune with William Haddad to cover Upper West Side and Harlem news from different perspectives.

In 1968 Innis was chosen National Chairman of CORE. Under his leadership, CORE shifted to a more conservative stance, including supporting Richard Nixon in 1972. He met with leaders around the world, including the Lubavitcher Rebbe after the Crown Heights riots of 1991, who urged unity for all people. Innis helped draft the Community Self-Determination Act of 1968, which CORE helped sponsor in Congress. He spoke on television about CORE’s goals and, in 1970, CORE filed an amicus brief in the Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg case.

In 1971 he and CORE delegates toured seven African countries and met several heads of state; in 1973 he became the first American to attend the Organization of African Unity in an official capacity. He also participated in debates on race, IQ, and civil rights, including a 1974 debate with William Shockley. In 1984 he urged Black Americans to pursue bold political strategies and argued for desegregating the Republican Party. By 1983, he had earned some support from President Ronald Reagan.

Innis testified at the 1987 confirmation hearings for Judge Robert Bork and spoke on gun rights, supporting the Second Amendment after losing two of his sons to gun violence. He was a long-time member of the National Rifle Association (NRA), chaired its Urban Affairs Committee, and served on its Ethics Committee. He was known for on-air confrontations in 1988 with Al Sharpton and John Metzger.

Later in his career, Innis supported UNITA in Angola and became involved in various political campaigns. He ran in the 1986 Democratic primary for Brooklyn’s 12th Congressional District but lost. In the 1993 New York City mayoral Democratic primary, he challenged David Dinkins and received about 25% of the vote, earning support mainly in multi-ethnic areas. He later joined the Libertarian Party in 1998 and considered running for governor. He also served as New York State Chair for Alan Keyes’s 2000 presidential campaign.

Roy Innis died in 2017 at age 82 from Parkinson’s disease. His son Niger Innis would become the National Spokesman of CORE.