Civil Rights & Activism

Medgar Evers

Born July 2, 1925 · Decatur, Mississippi · Joined the Ancestors June 12, 1963

The NAACP's first field secretary in Mississippi, Medgar Evers investigated racial violence, organized voter registration drives, and gave his life for the cause of civil rights at age 37.

Known For

NAACP field secretary, Mississippi

Focus

Voter registration, desegregation

Legacy

Arlington National Cemetery

Medgar Wiley Evers grew up in Decatur, Mississippi during the height of Jim Crow. After serving in World War II and fighting at Normandy, he returned home determined to fight for the freedom he had defended overseas.

As the NAACP's first field secretary in Mississippi, Evers was on the front lines of the most dangerous civil rights work in America. He investigated the murder of Emmett Till, organized boycotts, led voter registration drives, and fought to desegregate the University of Mississippi.

On June 12, 1963, Evers was assassinated in his driveway in Jackson, Mississippi, shot in the back by a white supremacist. His killer was not convicted until 1994, over 30 years later. Evers was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, and his sacrifice galvanized the civil rights movement.