Medgar Evers' Life and Legacy: 10 FactsThe civil rights icon was murdered 50 years ago, but reminders of his contributions are everywhere. |
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(The Root) -- On June 12, 1963, Byron De La Beckwith, a member of the White Citizens' Council, shot 37-year-old NAACP Field Secretary Medgar Evers in the back outside of his Jackson, Miss., home, killing him -- and making a legend out of a man who was already a courageous soldier in the fight for civil rights.
In life he was a hero, bravely investigating cases of violence against blacks in his home state, but in the years after his death, he has become a cultural icon. In celebration of Evers, here are 10 facts about his life and legacy.
1.
Medgar Evers circa 1960 (Michael Ochs Archive)Evers was named the first NAACP field secretary for Mississippi in 1954. From 1956 to 1959, statewide membership, thanks to his organizing efforts, grew from 8,000 to 15,000.2.
James Meredith walking to class accompanied by U.S. marshals in 1962 (Library of Congress)Part of his work involved helping James Meredith get into the University of Mississippi in 1962 by putting the NAACP's legal team -- led by Thurgood Marshall -- on the case.3.
