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Medgar Evers: Mississippi Martyr
Civil rights activist Medgar Wiley Evers was well aware of the dangers he would face when he challenged the status quo in Mississippi in the 1950s and '60s, a place and time known for the brutal murders of Emmett Till, Reverend George Lee, Lamar Smith, and others. Nonetheless, Evers consistently investigated the rapes, murders, beatings, and lynchings of black Mississippians and reported the horrid incidents to a national audience, all the while organizing economic boycotts, sit-ins, and street protests in Jackson as the NAACP's first full-time Mississippi field secretary. He organized and participated in voting drives and nonviolent direct-action protests, joined lawsuits to overturn state-supported school segregation, and devoted himself to a career path that eventually cost him his life. This biography of an important civil rights leader draws on personal interviews from Myrlie Evers-Williams (Evers's widow), his two remaining siblings, friends, grade-school-to-college schoolmates, and fellow activists to elucidate Evers as an individual, leader, husband, brother, and father. Extensive archival work in the Evers Papers, the NAACP Papers, oral history collections, FBI files, Citizen Council collections, and the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission Papers, to list a few, provides a detailed account of Evers's NAACP work and a clearer understanding of the racist environment that ultimately led to his murder.
446 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2011
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August 25, 2015
I turn fifteen on June 11, 1963, a day before NAACP field secretary for Mississippi, Medgar Wiley Evers, is assassinated by Byron De La Beckwith, in front of Evers’s own home in Jackson, Mississippi. If the item is mentioned in the local media where I live in Wichita, Kansas, I am probably oblivious to it. Yet Evers’s death seems to kick off a series of political assassinations that take place in the United States in the 1960s: John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert Fitzgerald Kennedy, and others. In spite of all its many charms—Motown, the Twist, the mini-skirt, mod clothing, the sexual revolution—the decade is really a rather dark period.
Evers’s story, through the years, is one that echoes in my mind—as it is occasionally referenced on TV, in the news, or even a film—yet I never quite have the narrative of events straight, the motivation for such a heinous act. But after reading Mr. Williams’s book, I can never look at the 1960s in quite the same way. The life of Medgar Evers is a remarkable one, a life that is often overlooked in the larger scheme of things, for example, that Mississippi is the wealthiest state among all the southern states, up until the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, that its wealth and position are entirely dependent on the institution of slavery and that when it is abolished, the South, including illustrious Mississippi, descends into poverty.
Contrast that status with the Mississippi of today, which holds the dubious distinction of being one of the poorest states, with the poorest level of per capita spending on education. What a descent, and yet it helps to explain why, even a hundred years after the Civil War—that’s at least four generations—white Mississippians still hate Negroes in the 1960s, want to keep them suppressed. Yes, for those one hundred years, people with dark skin are still enslaved by draconian laws that keep them confined to their own schools, their own restaurants, their own libraries (if such exist), or their own sections of public places such as train stations or washrooms. And certain (not all) white Mississippians believe that to continue such segregation is not only all right but that it is somehow ordained by God. And furthermore, certain white Mississippians feel justified in using lynching to justify their rage over the stupidest kinds of slights imaginable: winking at a white woman, slapping a white boy, a fifty-cent debt.
Imagine your family trying to move about your daily life—school, work, church, social intercourse—and always being afraid you might offend or displease someone with white skin. You’re often told you don’t belong in this line, this room, this particular place, and often, in spite of certain signs—Coloreds Only—you’re not always sure, until someone with no uncertainty informs you, either by way of verbal abuse or physical, sometimes violent, actions. This is the kind of society that Medgar Evers is attempting to change in his work as NAACP field agent. Several times in his life, Evers could leave the state of Mississippi for attractive job offers in more enlightened spots in the country, but he loves his home state, its geography, its people, so very much that he chooses to stay and fight.
Unlike MLK, Evers is not necessarily swayed by the use of peaceful means. He keeps a revolver in the glove box of his car, as he often travels late at night, arriving home in the dark after having attempted, somewhere else in Mississippi, to help others negotiate the filthy waters of prejudice and desegregation. Evers speaks out, both verbally and in print. His assassination does not happen out of the blue. Prior to this event, he narrowly escapes being hit by a police car. His household receives threatening phone calls. For a time he does accept or ask for protection, and for a time he receives it. But finally, Evers realizes he can never be free to do what he needs to do for the African-Americans of Mississippi if he must constantly have body guards surrounding him, and besides, it becomes too expensive of a proposition and he begins to eschew the offers.
And you may be thinking, All this is old ground, covered a thousand times in the past. Why don’t we just move on and forget about it?
If that’s what you think, consider these passages from forty-year-old writer Ta-Nehisi Coates’ article in The Atlantic’s September issue, in which the author addresses his son in light of his own fears:
And Coates’s fear is not only present in Baltimore where he grows up, but in the North, when he visits a grandmother:
For many African-Americans the fear that Mississippians internalize in the 1960s rages on unabated, stoked by trigger-happy police, by photo ID laws that have more to do with white skin still asserting control over black skin than voter fraud. The real fraud is that white power continues to rage over black lives, that many of us don’t realize it, think it’s all in the past. Mr. Williams’s biography, Medgar Evers: Mississippi Martyr, helps us to see that there is still much change that must occur before we are a truly free country. Williams’s research is amazingly thorough, and his insight into Evers’s life and the 1960s is crystal clear.
Evers’s story, through the years, is one that echoes in my mind—as it is occasionally referenced on TV, in the news, or even a film—yet I never quite have the narrative of events straight, the motivation for such a heinous act. But after reading Mr. Williams’s book, I can never look at the 1960s in quite the same way. The life of Medgar Evers is a remarkable one, a life that is often overlooked in the larger scheme of things, for example, that Mississippi is the wealthiest state among all the southern states, up until the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, that its wealth and position are entirely dependent on the institution of slavery and that when it is abolished, the South, including illustrious Mississippi, descends into poverty.
Contrast that status with the Mississippi of today, which holds the dubious distinction of being one of the poorest states, with the poorest level of per capita spending on education. What a descent, and yet it helps to explain why, even a hundred years after the Civil War—that’s at least four generations—white Mississippians still hate Negroes in the 1960s, want to keep them suppressed. Yes, for those one hundred years, people with dark skin are still enslaved by draconian laws that keep them confined to their own schools, their own restaurants, their own libraries (if such exist), or their own sections of public places such as train stations or washrooms. And certain (not all) white Mississippians believe that to continue such segregation is not only all right but that it is somehow ordained by God. And furthermore, certain white Mississippians feel justified in using lynching to justify their rage over the stupidest kinds of slights imaginable: winking at a white woman, slapping a white boy, a fifty-cent debt.
Imagine your family trying to move about your daily life—school, work, church, social intercourse—and always being afraid you might offend or displease someone with white skin. You’re often told you don’t belong in this line, this room, this particular place, and often, in spite of certain signs—Coloreds Only—you’re not always sure, until someone with no uncertainty informs you, either by way of verbal abuse or physical, sometimes violent, actions. This is the kind of society that Medgar Evers is attempting to change in his work as NAACP field agent. Several times in his life, Evers could leave the state of Mississippi for attractive job offers in more enlightened spots in the country, but he loves his home state, its geography, its people, so very much that he chooses to stay and fight.
Unlike MLK, Evers is not necessarily swayed by the use of peaceful means. He keeps a revolver in the glove box of his car, as he often travels late at night, arriving home in the dark after having attempted, somewhere else in Mississippi, to help others negotiate the filthy waters of prejudice and desegregation. Evers speaks out, both verbally and in print. His assassination does not happen out of the blue. Prior to this event, he narrowly escapes being hit by a police car. His household receives threatening phone calls. For a time he does accept or ask for protection, and for a time he receives it. But finally, Evers realizes he can never be free to do what he needs to do for the African-Americans of Mississippi if he must constantly have body guards surrounding him, and besides, it becomes too expensive of a proposition and he begins to eschew the offers.
And you may be thinking, All this is old ground, covered a thousand times in the past. Why don’t we just move on and forget about it?
If that’s what you think, consider these passages from forty-year-old writer Ta-Nehisi Coates’ article in The Atlantic’s September issue, in which the author addresses his son in light of his own fears:
“And yet I am still afraid. I feel the fear most acutely whenever you leave me. But I was afraid long before you, and in this I was unoriginal. When I was your age the only people I knew were black, and all of them were powerfully, adamantly, dangerously afraid” (85).
And Coates’s fear is not only present in Baltimore where he grows up, but in the North, when he visits a grandmother:
“I felt the fear in the visits to my Nana’s home in Philadelphia. You never knew her. I barely knew her, but what I remember is her hard manner, her rough voice. And I knew that my father’s father was dead and that my Uncle Oscar was dead and that my Uncle David was dead and that each of these instances was unnatural. And I saw it in my own father, who loves you, who counsels you, who slipped me money to care for you. My father was so very afraid. I felt it in the sting of his black leather belt, which he applied with more anxiety than anger, my father who beat me as if someone might steal me away, because that is exactly what was happening all around us. Everyone had lost a child, somehow, to the streets, to jail, to drugs, to guns. It was said that these lost girls were sweet as honey and would not hurt a fly. It was said that these lost boys had just received a GED and had begun to turn their lives around. And now they were gone, and their legacy was a great fear” (85).
For many African-Americans the fear that Mississippians internalize in the 1960s rages on unabated, stoked by trigger-happy police, by photo ID laws that have more to do with white skin still asserting control over black skin than voter fraud. The real fraud is that white power continues to rage over black lives, that many of us don’t realize it, think it’s all in the past. Mr. Williams’s biography, Medgar Evers: Mississippi Martyr, helps us to see that there is still much change that must occur before we are a truly free country. Williams’s research is amazingly thorough, and his insight into Evers’s life and the 1960s is crystal clear.
January 10, 2013
Up until reading this book, I thought I knew who Medgar Evers was. However, Dr. Williams showed me that I had no clue, and does an excellent job in depicting African-Americans' relentless struggle for acceptance in their own country. The presentation of this book is magnificent, and almost reads like a movie. 'Mississippi Martyr' characterizes the life of a selfless man and his love for his wife, children, family, fellow man and country; a true love story. I read this book in 14hours approximately 4months ago and still remember every minute detail. I highly recommend 'Medgar Evers: Mississippi Martyr' to not only history buffs, but anyone with a slight interest in American history and the Civil Rights era. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading more books by Michael V. Williams' in the future.
November 16, 2016
As I neared the end of this book, I've been gathering my thoughts on what to write. When I first learned of Medgar Evers, it was from a movie depicting his life and death. Immediately, I grew fascinated and yearned to learn more about this man, to which I purchased this book. Now that I've read it, I can say the movie did not do any justice in portraying Medgar Evers's life. It's evident that this book was thoroughly researched, as it is well written. Medgar is immensely underrepresented as a civil rights leader and in being a crucial part of the civil rights movement. Mr. Evers love for his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, could never be denied as he refused relocation opportunities presented to him as a means of protection. It weighs heavy on my heart to realize Medgar's life was cut so short, when yet it seems he was just getting started. Though he accomplished so much, in a short amount of time, I can only imagine the possibilities had he lived. Unfortunately, it took the death of a great man for Mississippi to implement positive changes for the oppressed. To fully understand the history of the civil rights movement with relation to our ongoing battles of today, knowing of and about Medgar Evers is a necessity as his role with the NAACP and in the state of Mississippi was a crucial role in creating paramount change in his state. I have immense respect for Medgar Evers as a leader, as a father, as a husband, and as a man.
"As the many bodies walked past Evers to look upon his face one last time, "the reason for coming was simple and poignant to all, and it was said over and over again" 'He died for us.'"
"As the many bodies walked past Evers to look upon his face one last time, "the reason for coming was simple and poignant to all, and it was said over and over again" 'He died for us.'"
April 5, 2018
A very exhaustive detail history of the life of Medgar Evers and his passion and tenacity in the fight for civil rights for black in Mississippi. For most people I suspect it is more than they really want or need to know about the delta blacks, but the stories of lynching, violence and exploitation of the rural blacks is a story that has to be written somewhere. The white power and privilege that is still fighting desperately to retain power is shown to have stopped at nothing in the past to keep their power and it appears that they will not stop at anything now to preserve it.
May 14, 2021
I liked the book. It's an academic work so sometimes has interests beyond the general reader, but it was still quite readable. He's an interesting character. This book showed how little substance I knew about the man. My father claims to have interviewed him for Canadian radio when Medgar was in San Francisco in the early 1960's, I haven't been able to prove that, but I'd like to. Sadly I know of no copies of any of the recordings. Dad's gone, so I can't follow up on any details. I think I would have liked him, I certainly admire Medgar.
December 10, 2020
Picked this up because I teach the CRM movement but Medgar is lacking in the content. Now realizing how sorely needed his presence is in the MS narrative, and will correct this moving forward. Excellent analysis of his life and work.
July 29, 2021
I read this book because I pass by Medgar Evers college in Brooklyn all the time and I really didn't know much of anything about him before I read the book. This biography is very detailed, comprehensive and heavy.
March 5, 2024
An important life to learn about. Unfortunately the writing often reads like a mediocre college freshman's first essay.
September 30, 2024
Great well written book. Medgar Evers was an inspiration and dedicated to making an impact to the next generation and beyond. Recommended reading of an excellent leader.
August 4, 2020
Honestly I felt a little misled by this book. It's very good, but isn't really much of a biography of Medgar Evers. It reads almost like a chronicle of Evers' life rather than a biography (though this is masked somewhat by the considerable cushioning of tangents on broader U.S. civil rights history, which, while I appreciated, definitely took the focus away from Evers). Michael Vinson Williams walks through his actions, sure, but he doesn't spend much time getting into Evers' head or explaining his worldview.
I understand Evers was more soft-spoken and less ideological than his more iconic contemporary civil rights martyrs Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., and see now why his place in history is more much more muted than those two (because his impact was more local and not driven by the power of his personality). But it really feels like Williams could have offered a better picture of this man.
Like, why did Williams decide to not explain why Evers never left Mississippi until the final chapter? That would have given a huge amount of context to his activism and really enriched our understanding of Evers' work if he'd discussed it earlier. The book is peppered with instances like that, gaps in understanding of Evers where maybe either Williams wasn't able to track down more personal material to draw from or didn't bother to include it because he was more focused on the bigger picture.
Think of it more like a general civil rights history book that uses Evers as an anchor and it gets a lot better.
I understand Evers was more soft-spoken and less ideological than his more iconic contemporary civil rights martyrs Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., and see now why his place in history is more much more muted than those two (because his impact was more local and not driven by the power of his personality). But it really feels like Williams could have offered a better picture of this man.
Like, why did Williams decide to not explain why Evers never left Mississippi until the final chapter? That would have given a huge amount of context to his activism and really enriched our understanding of Evers' work if he'd discussed it earlier. The book is peppered with instances like that, gaps in understanding of Evers where maybe either Williams wasn't able to track down more personal material to draw from or didn't bother to include it because he was more focused on the bigger picture.
Think of it more like a general civil rights history book that uses Evers as an anchor and it gets a lot better.
March 27, 2022
My husband's ancestral roots are in northern Mississippi, but his grandfather left because of the way they were treated under Jim Crow. I read this book to get a clearer picture of what that life was like and to get a clearer picture of Medgar Evers' work. At times the book was very depressing but that got balanced out by a sense of pride at Evers and his work and dedication. He refused to leave the state and insisted upon creating a better future for his children and grandchildren. He loved his state very much, so much that he wanted to make it a better place.
The interviews with his brother and sister helped to give the author a clearer picture of who Medgar was, and how his parents shaped who he became. It was a little sad to see how overworked he was and how the NAACP sometimes treated him.
At times the book drags a little bit or it felt like the author repeats himself. However, he did an excellent job of laying out the chapters and giving us a full picture of Evers' life.
The interviews with his brother and sister helped to give the author a clearer picture of who Medgar was, and how his parents shaped who he became. It was a little sad to see how overworked he was and how the NAACP sometimes treated him.
At times the book drags a little bit or it felt like the author repeats himself. However, he did an excellent job of laying out the chapters and giving us a full picture of Evers' life.
April 9, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. Very powerful, very well written. Medgar Evers deserves to be remembered for his work and not just his martyrdom, and Professor Williams's rich portrayal of Evers does him justice. I pretty much read this through in one session–it was that engrossing. From Evers's military service to his work with the NAACP, the Regional Counsel of Negro Leadership, and other such civil rights groups to his own willingness to stick his neck on the line by applying to the University of Mississippi's law school, there is much a biography of Evers needs to cover and Professor Williams doesn't give any period short shrift.
I highly recommend "Medgar Evers: Mississippi Martyr" and I hope to read more books from Professor Williams in the future.
I highly recommend "Medgar Evers: Mississippi Martyr" and I hope to read more books from Professor Williams in the future.
September 1, 2016
This was an excellent biography. The author did an excellent job of creating a picture of how life was for blacks in the South and what they had to endure during the 1950s and 60s.
I thought the author did a great job of capturing a number of aspects of Medgar Evers life. It must be difficult to write about a person you've never met. Fortunately, there was lots of documentation about Medgar Evers and the NAACP and other prominent black organizations at that time.
I would recommend this book to my friends.
I thought the author did a great job of capturing a number of aspects of Medgar Evers life. It must be difficult to write about a person you've never met. Fortunately, there was lots of documentation about Medgar Evers and the NAACP and other prominent black organizations at that time.
I would recommend this book to my friends.
July 15, 2015
authoritative biography of a man who should be much admired ... i can't help but reflect on the continued sorry state of equality in our society and this look back at Medgar's life has me asking the question: in what a period of time have we made LESS progress toward black equality in this country, the 100 years between the Emancipation Proclamation and Medgar Evers' death, or the 50 years between his death and today?
June 26, 2014
This book is very well researched. It paints a vivid portrait of Mr. Evers, his sacrifices and the sacrifices of so many others. They were all real people with lives and loves and hopes and flaws and families. I am forever in awe of how they faced what they confronted. The book inspired me and broke my heart.
May 26, 2013
Finished most of this book but finally gave up. Not the best book written on the subject matter. It jumps around way too much.
June 12, 2016
This is a thorough and meticiously researched book. I learned so much about Evers, his family and his immediate environment. Medlar did the work at the local level for the civil rights struggle.
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