Medgar Evers – Page 2 – The Mississippi Link

Bill Clinton, Eric Holder to join in Arlington tribute to Medgar Evers

June 5, 2013 Kermit 1

Former president Bill Clinton, Attorney General Eric Holder and NAACP officials will join Myrlie Evers-Williams today for a remembrance ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in honor of slain civil rights leader Medgar Wiley Evers.

The event will feature remarks from Clinton, Holder, Evers’ widow, Evers-Williams, Roslyn Brock and Ben Jealous of the NAACP and other national officials.

The NAACP will host a wreath laying ceremony at Arlington, where Evers – a former field secretary of the organization – is buried. […]

NAACP honors former leader, Medgar Evers, in Jackson

May 23, 2013 Kermit 0

NAACP leaders from around the country gathered in Jackson recently to honor the memory of their former leader, Medgar Evers and to hold their annual meeting.

Evers was assassinated nearly 50 years ago outside his home in Jackson.

NAACP president Benjamin Todd Jealous and board chairwoman Roslyn Brock helped Evers’ widow, Myrlie Evers-Williams, lay a wreath at the home, now a museum on Thursday, May 16.

Evers-Williams told nearly 200 people that she still remembers hearing the shot that killed her husband in their carport on June 12, 1963. She and their three young children, Darrell, Reena and Van, were waiting up for him. […]

Myrlie Evers-Williams encourages UM Graduates to ‘Soar and Be Free’

May 13, 2013 Kermit 0

Evers-Williams, who worked for more than 30 years to seek justice for the 1963 murder of her well-known civil rights activist husband, Medgar Evers, is a former chairwoman of the NAACP and is widely credited with restoring the organization’s reputation and saving it from bankruptcy. Most recently, she delivered the invocation at the second inauguration of President Barack Obama, becoming the first woman to deliver a prayer at a presidential inauguration.

“The lifelong work of Dr. Evers-Williams to keep her husband’s memory alive and to progress his dream has been pivotal in the pathway from adoption of laws calling for fairness to the adoption of fairness into our societal expectations and interpersonal relationships,” said Chancellor Dan Jones, who presented the third University of Mississippi Humanitarian Award to the speaker, honoring her and her slain husband’s memory. […]

Alcorn announces Medgar Wiley Evers memorial statue dedication

April 25, 2013 Kermit 0

Medgar Wiley Evers had big dreams when he arrived on the campus of Alcorn A&M College in the summer of 1948. It is likely that those dreams involved becoming an All-American football player, participating in campus activities, and ultimately earning a college degree. It is hard to imagine that his dreams were enormous enough to predict the phenomenal impact his life and legacy would have on the United States and the world.

Yet, half a century after his untimely demise, thousands of Americans will journey to Mississippi to commemorate one of the foremost leaders in American civil rights history. […]

First black judge of Miss. to speak at Alcorn diversity event

April 19, 2013 Kermit 0

In 1963, Constance Slaughter-Harvey enrolled in Tougaloo College. There she met civil rights leader Medgar Evers shortly before he was assassinated. His brutal death inspired her to get involved in the civil rights movement and help bring about changes in Mississippi.

After graduating cum laude from Tougaloo College with a degree in Political Science and Economics, Slaughter-Harvey continued her fight for social equality while attending law school at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and persevered to become the first black woman to receive a law degree from that institution in 1970. She later became the first black judge in the state of Mississippi.

As a trailblazer, Slaughter-Harvey will speak on a panel of “phenomenal female firsts in Mississippi at Alcorn State University on Monday, April 22. […]

Events planned for 50th anniversary of Medgar Evers’ death

April 17, 2013 Kermit 2

Myrlie Evers, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute (MMEI), has announced plans for a national commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of her late husband Medgar Evers, Mississippi civil rights pioneer.

Events sponsored by the Institute will begin Wednesday, June 5, in Washington, D. C., and culminate with a community celebration, and tribute gala in Jackson, on Wednesday, June 12. Joining Mrs. Evers in the announcement were representatives of community organizations helping to sponsor the activities and hosting their own events.

Reena Evers-Everette, daughter of Medgar and Myrlie Evers and executive director of the MMEI, announced that a memorial service will be held at her father’s gravesite in Arlington National Cemetery on June 5 at noon.
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Myrlie Evers brings message of peace, justice and dialogue to Millsaps

April 17, 2013 Kermit 1

Civil rights icon Myrlie Evers filled the Robert and Dee Leggett Special Events Center in the A. Boyd Campbell College Center on Friday. April 5 for the 2013 Rabbi Perry Nussbaum Lecture Series, urging students to embrace and recognize the history of social justice at Millsaps College, while remembering her past in the capital city.

“Millsaps has stood tall since the very beginning of (civil rights) dialogue sessions in Mississippi,” she said. “For those of you that are students here, enjoy each and every moment and take in all the knowledge that is provided to you.”

The lecture series, which is dedicated to men and women who have stood against racial bigotry and religious prejudice, was endowed by Dr. John D. Bower, a renal pioneer, in 2008 in honor of Nussbaum, rabbi at Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson from 1954 until 1974.
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Seven Mississippi Legends in Black History

February 21, 2013 admin 0

Compiled by Ayesha K. Mustafaa

Editor

MEDGAR EVERS

Topping the list of legendary Mississippi African Americans who impacted the lives of all Americans is Medgar Evers. A tribute to Evers in the context of his impact on the life of Marian Wright Eldeman can be found on page 15 in this issue of The Mississippi Link.

A very special note regarding Evers is the naval ship named in his honor commissioned by former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus, who is now Secretary of the Navy…. […]

Myrlie Evers-Williams keynote speaker at Alcorn alumni event in Atlanta

February 21, 2013 Kermit 2

Alcorn University’s Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence, civil rights activist Myrlie Evers-Williams, will be speaking at an annual alumni event this weekend in Atlanta, Georgia.

Evers-Williams, 79, is the keynote speaker and her theme is: “Coming together, moving forward.”

More than 600 alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends of Alcorn State University will come together on Thursday, Feb. 21 through Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013 for the Alcorn State University National Alumni Association’s annual Mid-Winter Conference.

“A Past to Cherish…. A Future to Fulfill” is the theme, and the meeting will be held at the Marriott Marquis Atlanta. […]

Proud to be Mississippian, Evers-Williams says

February 4, 2013 Kermit 0

Myrlie Evers-Williams says people praised her poise after her husband, Mississippi NAACP field secretary Medgar Evers, was assassinated 50 years ago in the state. But she says she struggled with wanting revenge.

Evers-Williams, 79, said at a prayer luncheon Thursday in Jackson that her faith helped her find peace, and her daughter once reminded her that Medgar Evers had taught people not to hate.

Now, Evers-Williams said: “I am proud to be a Mississippian. And I dare anyone to challenge me on that point.” […]