Medgar Evers Quotes

A collection of quotes by Medgar Evers.

Medgar Evers was an influential figure in the American civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. He was born on July 2, 1925, in Decatur, Mississippi. Growing up in a segregated society, Evers witnessed the injustices and inequalities faced by African Americans on a daily basis.

Evers served in the United States Army during World War II, where he experienced racial discrimination within the military. After the war, he attended Alcorn College (now Alcorn State University) and became involved in activism, joining the Regional Council of Negro Leadership. He worked tirelessly to challenge Jim Crow laws and fought for equal voting rights and educational opportunities.

In 1954, Evers became the first field secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Mississippi. He organized voter registration drives, boycotts, and protests against segregation, often facing threats and violence from white supremacists.

On June 12, 1963, Evers was tragically assassinated in the driveway of his home. His murder, which shocked the nation, galvanized the civil rights movement and highlighted the urgent need for change. The trial of his killer, Byron De La Beckwith, resulted in two hung juries before Beckwith was finally convicted over 30 years later.

Medgar Evers' legacy lives on as an emblem of courage, determination, and sacrifice in the fight against racial injustice. He became a symbol of the struggle for equality and played a crucial role in paving the way for the civil rights achievements that followed.