Quick Facts
Also Known As: Medgar Wiley Evers
Died At Age: 37
Family:
Spouse/Ex-: Myrlie Evers-Williams (m. 1951–1963)
father: James Evers
mother: Jesse Evers
siblings: Charlie Evers
children: Darrell Kenyatta Evers, James Van Evers, Reena Denise Evers
African American Men Civil Rights Activists
Died on: June 12, 1963
place of death: Jackson, Mississippi, United States
Notable Alumni: Alcorn State University
Cause of Death: Assassination
U.S. State: Mississippi
More Facts
education: Alcorn State University
Childhood & Early Life
Medgar Evers was born to James and Jesse Evers in Decatur, Mississippi. His father worked at a saw mill and owned a small farm.
He studied in a school for black children and walked 12 miles to go to school.
He joined the US army in 1943 and served there for three years, fighting at the ‘battle of Normandy’ and at ‘European Theatre’ during World War II. He was honourably discharged with the rank of a ‘Sergeant’.
He joined ‘Alcorn College’, a black college, in 1948. He majored in business administration and was involved in a host of extra-curricular activities such as debate, football, track teams, choir, etc. He was also the ‘junior class president’.
Career
Evers graduated from college with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1952 and moved to Mississippi, where he became a salesman for renowned civil rights activist T. R. M. Howard’s firm, ‘Magnolia Mutual Life Insurance Company’. Howard mentored Evers in the following years regarding activism.
T.R.M Howard was the president of the ‘Regional Council of Negro Leadership’ or RCNL, a society that advocated civil rights among other things. Evers too got involved in RCNL and was among the organizers of boycott of service stations which forbade blacks from using the restrooms. He also attended RCNL’s yearly conferences.
In 1954, his application to the ‘University of Mississippi’ was rejected on racial grounds. Following this, the ‘National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’, or NAACP, started a campaign to stop segregation of the University. The same year, Evers became a field officer for NAACP in Mississippi.
In his capacity as the field secretary, Evers recruited more members for the NAACP and organized registration of voters. He headed protests against the companies with white owners that were discriminatory.
He opposed the legal system for being discriminatory towards crimes against the African Americans. He demanded a new investigation into the brutal murder of Emmett Till, a fourteen-year old African-American boy in Mississippi who was killed for flirting with a white woman.
In 1960, Evers objected to the staged conviction of civil rights activist Clyde Kennard on charges of theft.
He advised James Meredith in his efforts to get admission to the ‘University of Mississippi’. Eventually, Meredith became the first African-American to be granted admission to the University in 1962. However, his admission was followed by riots at the campus, leading to the death of two people. This increased the white supremacists’ hatred towards Evers.
He was a supporter of the Biloxi Wade-Ins, which were a series of protests that demanded African-Americans to be allowed everywhere on the beach in Biloxi.
Major Works
In 1954, he sent admission applications to the ‘University of Mississippi’ Law School. After his application was rejected on the grounds of his race, the NAACP started a campaign to stop segregation by the University, with Evers being the focus of the campaign. They received a boost with the ‘Brown v. Board of Education’ case which ruled racial segregation as unconstitutional.
Awards & Achievements
He was awarded the ‘Spingarn Medal’ by the ‘National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’ in 1963.
Personal Life & Legacy
In 1951, when he was still in college, he married his classmate Myrlie Beasley. The couple had three children, Darrell Kenyatta, Reena Denise and James Van Dyke. His wife was also an activist.
Following Evers’ public campaigns against racism, he and his family were threatened many times by white supremacists. In 1963, the ‘Molotov Cocktail’, a kind of firebomb, was thrown inside his house but luckily his family escaped unhurt. Later that year, someone tried to run down Evers with a car.
He was assassinated by white supremacist ‘Byron De La Beckwith’, a member of the ‘White Citizens’ Council’.
His wife Myrlie Evers co-authored the book ‘For Us, the Living’, which was adopted into the film ‘For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story’. The film was released in 1983 as a tribute to Medgar Evers.
The city of Jackson, the capital of the state of Mississipi, has a statue of Evers, a part of its highway is named after him and the city’s airport is also named after this prominent activist.
Facts About Medgar Evers
Medgar Evers was known for his impeccable fashion sense and often wore a signature bow tie, adding a touch of personal style to his professional demeanor.
Despite the serious nature of his work as a civil rights leader, Evers had a playful side and enjoyed practical jokes with friends and colleagues.
Evers had a passion for gardening and would often spend his free time tending to his garden, finding solace and peace in the beauty of nature.
He was an avid reader and had a particular love for poetry, often reciting verses to inspire and uplift those around him.
Evers had a talent for public speaking and was known for his powerful and eloquent speeches that resonated with audiences across the country.
See more:
