Hero of the Week 96

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This week's hero is...

Medgar Evers 

Medgar Evers was born on July 2, 1925, in Decatur, Mississippi. He grew up experiencing racism on a daily basis. When he was 12, he witnessed a family friend get lynched by a mob and was forced to run from gangs of white thugs looking for black kids to jump. These experiences helped to harden his resolve. One day, Evers would stand up for his country and make a critical difference in it's destiny.

However, his first attempt to fight against racism was delayed by America's entry into World War II. In 1943, Medgar and his older brother (Charles Evers) enlisted in the US Army. He served in the Invasion of Normandy where he delivered supplies and ammunition to men on the front lines. After the end of the war, Evers received an honorable discharge for his service. Although many of his comrades decided to stay in the army (where their treatment was slightly better than at home), Evers decided to return to Mississippi to fulfill a promise he had made to himself. His brother Charles later said that Medgar had told him, "When we get out of the Army, we're going to straighten this out". For him, another war had begun.

Once he returned to Mississippi, Evers enrolled in Alcorn State University. He majored in business administration and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1952. A year earlier he married a fellow classmate named, Myrlie Beasley. After graduating, Evers joined the National Association for the advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He began working on the desegregation of schools in Mississippi. With the growing Civil Rights Movement, Evers organized boycotts and sit-ins. One of his greatest achievements was the desegregation of the University of Mississippi. He also galvanized support for investigations into the murder of Emmet Till and the release of Clyde Kennard (an activist falsely accused of traffic violations). However, Evers' successes also made him a target.

The fact that Evers had successfully defied segregation many times made him a public enemy for white supremacist groups (including the KKK). At least two attempts were made on Medgar Ever's life in the year of 1963. At one point, a molotov cocktail was thrown at his home. Just a month later, a car attempted to run him down as he was leaving the NAACP building. Despite these threats on his life, Evers refused to back down to the threats and continued his work. 

Members of the KKK became so determined to eliminate Evers that they placed him on the top of their hit list. Just after midnight on June 12, 1963, Evers pulled into his driveway. As he walked to his house, a gunshot rang out. Evers fell to the ground and crawled into his house with a severe wound to his back. His wife drove him to an all-white hospital where doctors tried to save his life. Sadly, the bullet (fired from a sniper rifle) had struck his heart and he died on the operating table. Medgar Evers was only 37 years old.

Just nine days later, the FBI identified a suspect. He was a fertilizer salesman named, Byron De La Beckwith. Like Evers, Beckwith was a decorated veteran of World War II. Unlike Evers, Beckwith was an ardent racist who had joined the Ku Klux Klan in 1954. The FBI found his finger prints on the sniper rifle recovered from the scene of the crime. He was put on trial for the murder twice. However both juries (all-white) failed to convict. In 1994, Beckwith was put on a trial a third time. On February 5, a diverse jury finally returned with a conviction of first-degree murder. Byron De La Beckwith was sentenced to Life in Prison without the possibility of parole. He died in prison on January 1, 2001.

Although they were grief-stricken by his death, Ever's family decided to carry on his legacy. His brother Charles joined the NAACP a year later and continued his brother's work. In 1985, Charles Evers was elected, Mayor of Fayette, Mississippi (the first black man to ever hold that position). He died on July 22, 2020, at the age of 97. Myrlie Evers (Medgar's widow) also joined the NAACP and served as chair of the National Board of Directors. She continues to advocate for social justice today.

Medgar Evers was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. More than 5,000 people attended his funeral. Today he is praised as one of the greatest figures of the Civil Rights movement. In 2013, statue was erected in his honor at Alcorn University. He and Myrlie's home was designated as a historical landmark in 2017. It remains a solemn reminder of a brave man who fought two wars and defied racism. A man who gave his life for freedom, justice, and equal rights for all.

https://www.naacp.org/naacp-history-medgar-evers/

https://www.biography.com/activist/medgar-evers

https://www.mec.cuny.edu/history/life-of-medgar-evers/

https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/06/05/188727790/fifty-years-after-medgar-evers-killing-the-scars-remain