By: Ellie Farquhar
Medgar Evers was a notable civil rights leader who was born on July, 2 1925 in the racist neighborhood of Decatur Mississippi. His childhood was spent working in the farmlands of the area, and in 1943 he was drafted into the U.S. army for service. After fighting for three years in World War II he was honorably discharged. Later in 1948 he entered Alcorn college in Lorman Mississippi, where he met his wife Myrlie Beasley. They led a happy life together, and had three children, Darrell, Reena and James. He graduated college in 1952, and became an insurance salesman. Soon afterward, he became involved in the Regional council of Negro Leadership (RCNL) which introduced him into promoting civil rights. Seeking further education, Evers applied to the University of Mississippi Law in February 1954, but was rejected to do racial discrimination against African Americans. Outraged, he sued the school on these grounds, but lost the case. Later in May of 1954 the Supreme Court bans segregation in all schools in the court case Brown vs. Board of education case. Though Evers was not a well known civil rights leader, he was involved in many civil rights programs including the NAACP, which prompted him to a position as a field secretary, allowing him to move to Jackson Mississippi. Medgar Evers was shot at age 38 by a racist man by the name of Byron de la Beckwith outside his house on June 12, 1963 at 12:40 am. Beckwith was sentenced to a life in prison, and his wife later married a successful business man. Upon death Evers was awarded full military honors and the NAACP 1963 Spingarn medal. Medgar Evers made many important advancements in the field of civil rights, and though he would not live to see it, his lifelong goals were accomplished.