Evers while he was serving in the U.S army (public domain)
Life of Medgar Evers
Early years
Born on July 2, 1925, in Decatur, Mississippi, Evers grew up in the South, which was full of injustice and inequality because of racial segregation.
Evers served in the U.S. Army during World War II. After his military service was complete, Evers attended Alcorn State University, where he was an exemplary student and leader, serving on the debate team and football team. He graduated in 1952 with a degree in business administration.
Pioneering Civil Rights in Mississippi
Evers' career as a civil rights activist began in 1954 when he was hired as the first field secretary of the NAACP in Mississippi. He investigated acts of racial violence, including lynchings, and organized boycotts against businesses practicing discrimination. Evers also worked to register Black voters, facing violent opposition from white supremacists.
"Medgar was THE spokesperson for Black people. He was the visible one. His neck was on the line."
(From the interview with Myrlie Evers)
Medgar Evers being interviewed by CBS Reports producer William 'Bill' Peters. The segment titled 'Testament of a Murdered Man,' conducted in the summer of 1962, was originally broadcast on June 12, 1963. (Getty Images)
A National Mourns
However, at a young age, Medgar Evers' life was tragically cut shortly by an assassination on June 12, 1963, outside his home in Jackson, Mississippi by a white supremacist, Byron De La Beckwith. The whole nation was horrified at the event, and the pursuit for racial equality was consolidated thereafter. Evers' funeral was attended by thousands of people, and he was given a full military honor burial at Arlington National Cemetery.
Myrlie Louise Evers, widow of civil rights activist Medgar Evers, leans down to kiss her late husband's forehead.(AP Photo)
Mourners march to the Jackson, Miss., funeral home following services for slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers. (AP Photo)