Medgar Wiley Evers was a prominent American civil rights activist, the first field secretary for the NAACP in Mississippi, and a World War II veteran, who dedicated his life to fighting racial segregation and injustice. His efforts to improve economic opportunities for African Americans made him a target of white supremacists, and on June 12, 1963, he was assassinated outside his home in Jackson, Mississippi, by a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
Medgar Wiley Evers was born on July 2, 1925, in Decatur, Mississippi, to James and Jessie Evers. He grew up in a segregated society where racial discrimination was deeply entrenched. His father was a farmer and sawmill worker, and from an early age, Evers experienced the harsh realities of racism. Determined to get an education, he walked 12 miles each day to attend a segregated school. Despite the challenges, he excelled academically and graduated from high school.
In 1943, at the age of 17, Evers enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II, inspired by both his older brother Charles, who was already serving, and his own experiences with racism at home. He was assigned to the 657th Port Company, a segregated unit, and took part in the Normandy landings. He also served in the Red Ball Express, a crucial supply convoy that kept Allied forces equipped during the war.
During his service, Evers saw firsthand how Black soldiers were treated very differently. While discrimination was common within the U.S. Army, he saw Black troops in the Free French Forces receiving more equal treatment. This experience deepened his resolve to challenge racial injustice back home. After being honorably discharged in 1946, he returned to Mississippi determined to fight for civil rights.
Civil Rights Activism
After his honorable discharge in 1946, Evers enrolled at Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Alcorn State University), where he majored in business administration. He married Myrlie Beasley in 1951, and the couple moved to Mound Bayou, Mississippi, where Evers worked as an insurance salesman. It was during this time that he became actively involved in the civil rights movement.
Evers joined the Regional Council of Negro Leadership (RCNL), organizing boycotts and protests against segregation. His leadership skills caught the attention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and in 1954, he became the organization’s first field secretary in Mississippi. In this role, Evers worked tirelessly to challenge segregation, expand voting rights, and improve economic opportunities for African Americans.
One of his most significant efforts was his attempt to desegregate the University of Mississippi. In 1954, following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, which established that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, Evers applied to the university’s law school as part of a test case. His application was rejected due to his race, but his efforts laid the groundwork for future desegregation battles, including James Meredith’s successful enrolment in 1962.
Evers’ activism made him a target of white supremacists. He faced constant threats, and his home was firebombed in May 1963. Despite the dangers, Evers remained committed in his mission. He investigated the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till, supported Clyde Kennard’s efforts to desegregate higher education, and organized voter registration drives. His work earned him the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal in 1963, but it also put an even bigger target on his back.
Assassination and Legacy
Medgar was often escorted home by FBI and police officers for his own safety, however, on the day of his assassination, none of his usual protection was present, for reasons unspecified by the FBI or local police.
On the night of June 12, 1963, just hours after President John F. Kennedy delivered a televised address on civil rights, Evers was shot in the back as he arrived home. The bullet, fired from a rifle, passed through his heart. He died less than an hour later at a whites-only hospital, where his family had to beg for him to be admitted after he was initially turned away because of his race. He was only 37 years old.
Their son Darrell recalled the night: “We were ready to greet him, because every time he came home it was special for us. He was traveling a lot at that time. All of a sudden, we heard a shot. We knew what it was.”
Evers’ assassination sent shockwaves throughout the nation. His funeral at Arlington National Cemetery drew thousands of mourners, and his death made people realize exactly what they were fighting for. It gave activists new strength and determination to keep pushing for change and justice.
In the aftermath of Evers’ assassination, an estimated 5,000 people marched from the Masonic Temple on Lynch Street to the Collins Funeral Home on North Farish Street in Jackson. The procession was led by prominent civil rights leaders, including Allen Johnson and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Mississippi police, armed with riot gear and rifles, confronted the marchers, but the leaders of the movement maintained non-violence among their followers.
Evers’ assassination and the broader civil rights movement’s efforts culminated in significant legislative changes. On July 2, 1964, less than a year after Evers’ death, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law. This landmark legislation outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and it ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination.
Evers’ widow, Myrlie Evers, later became a leading activist and eventually served as the national chair of the NAACP. She spent decades fighting for justice for her husband’s murder, which was finally achieved in 1994 when Byron De La Beckwith, a white supremacist and Ku Klux Klan member, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison after two mistrials in the 1960s. De La Beckwith remained in prison until his death on January 21, 2001, at age 80.
Medgar Evers’ impact on the civil rights movement remains undeniable. His work laid the foundation for critical changes in American society, and his name continues to be honored across the country. Institutions like Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York, and the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport in Mississippi ensure that his contributions are never forgotten. His former home in Jackson, where he was assassinated, is now preserved as a National Monument, serving as both a place of remembrance and a symbol of the ongoing fight for justice.
In 2024, President Joe Biden posthumously awarded Evers the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honour, recognising his extraordinary courage and dedication to equality. As his wife, Myrlie Evers-Williams once said, “Medgar was a man who never wanted adoration, who never wanted to be in the limelight. He was a man who saw a job that needed to be done and he answered the call.”
Sources:
https://naacp.org/find-resources/history-explained/civil-rights-leaders/medgar-evers
Medgar Wiley Evers Sergeant, United States Army Civil Rights Leader
Medgar Evers honored at Arlington 50 years after assassination
