During her college years, McKissack actively participated in Nashville sit-ins. As an educator, she played an important role in the desegregation of Nashville public schools. She was the first African American selected to teach in the new magnet school, Hume Fogg. As the Social Studies Head, she helped establish the advance placement program that ranks the school as 23rd best high school in the nation.
A well-known community activist and popular educator, McKissack has received numerous awards and honors. They include: Humanitarian Award, Outstanding Teacher in Social Studies, the Unsung Hero Award from the Tennessee State Legislature, and the Metropolitan Nashville City Council for her role in the Nashville sit-ins.
She retired after 32 years as Social Studies chairperson at West End Middle, Stratford High and Hume Fogg Magnet schools. However, McKissack continues to teach as an adjunct professor of American History and African American History at Volunteer State and Tennessee State University, where she is currently employed.
She has served on several boards including the Tennessee Historical Commission , Organized Neighbors of Edgehill, the Nashville Civil Rights Veterans Association, and as Vice President of the Nashville Church Historian Association.
An avid arts collector, McKissack has achieved recognition as a professional model, and has appeared in other media productions. She serves as co-chair of the NAACP's 38th Banquet /Gala and is producer and director of the documentary, "The Nashville Freedom Riders: Would You Get on the Bus?" Her first documentary: "The Nashville Sit-ins Story" was televised as part of the African American History and Cultural Conference in 2010.
