The Genius of Black People
Created by Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, TheHub.news presents its Black History Month series celebrating the genius of Black people—stories of courage, faith and creativity forged in struggle. Inspired by ancestors like Walter Francis White, this series honors sacred memory and lifts up the divine brilliance shaping justice and resilience today.
The McKissack family story is one of the most powerful examples of Black genius expressed through skill, craftsmanship and multigenerational enterprise in American history. Rooted in the late 18th century, the McKissack family lineage began with an African ancestor brought to the United States through enslavement who was highly skilled in building and engineering—knowledge that would be passed down for generations.
The family’s legacy took form in 1905, when brothers Moses McKissack III and Calvin McKissack founded McKissack & McKissack in Nashville, Tennessee, making it the oldest continuously operating Black-owned architecture and engineering firm in the United States. Their work helped shape the physical and civic landscape of Black America.
“McKissack & McKissack played a critical role in designing and constructing historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), churches, schools and community institutions.”
The family’s genius lies not only in design, but in strategy and endurance. McKissack & McKissack played a critical role in designing and constructing historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), churches, schools and community institutions—spaces where Black life, education, worship, and leadership could flourish. Their work included projects at institutions such as Tennessee State University and Meharry Medical College, embedding Black excellence directly into the built environment.
Across generations, the McKissack family expanded the firm’s reach nationally, contributing to major infrastructure, cultural and government projects while remaining family-led and sustaining its historic mission and Black-owned identity. At a time when Black professionals were excluded from major projects and professional societies, the McKissack brothers built a firm that would endure.
