11 Jun BLACK IN TIME: A Moment In OUR History

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            Medgar Evers:

On June 12, 1963, 37- Year Old, Medgar Wylie Evers, While In The Driveway Of His Jackson, Mississippi Home, Was Shot In The Back And Killed By Ku Klux Klan Memeber, Byron De La Beckwith.

A Native Of Decatur, Mississippi And A World War II Veteran, Medgar Evers Served As The NAACP's Field Secretary. He Was A Key Figure In The Desegregation Efforts Taking Place In Mississippi And Was Involved In Investigating The Murders Of African Americans In The State.

Evers Worked For A Time As An Insurance Salesman. Through That Job, He Was Exposed To The Plight Of Poor Blacks. He Decided To Stop Selling Insurance And Devote Himself To The NAACP Full-Time.

Medgar Evers Was The First Major Civil Rights Leader To Be Murdered. He Is Buried In Arlington National Cemetary, In Arlington, VA. His Killer Was Not Convicted Until 1994.

The Death Of Medgar Evers Prompted President John F. Kennedy To Ask Congress For A National Civil Rights Bill. President Lyndon Johnson Signed The Bill Into Law In 1964.

"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.

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Last modified on Sunday, 02 October 2016 23:55