By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Jun 18, 2025 | 4:15 PM
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Medgar Evers (July 2, 1925 - June 12, 1963) Photo courtesy of the National Park Service (Click on image to enlarge.) |
NATCHEZ, Miss. — A special two-day event celebrating
the life and legacy of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers will be held in
early July in recognition of his 100th birthday, according to Natchez NAACP
President Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis.
“A Centennial Celebration of the Life and Work of Medgar
Wiley Evers (July 2, 1925 – June 12, 1963)” will be presented by the Natchez
Branch of the NAACP in collaboration with the Natchez Business and Civic
League, the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture, and Visit
Natchez. It is free and open to the public.
“Medgar Wiley Evers worked tirelessly in Mississippi to
overturn racial segregation in schools and public facilities, and to expand
opportunities for African American citizens both economically and politically,”
said Arcenaux-Mathis. “He gave his life to make Mississippi and America a
better place for all Americans to live in. His work transcended Mississippi and
impacted the entire United States of America.”
Arcenaux-Mathis said honoring “this heroic American helps
to keep his history and contributions alive and relevant in world today.”
The celebration will begin with a panel discussion at 6
p.m. Tuesday, July 1, at the Natchez Museum of African American History and
Culture at 301 Main St. The discussion will be preceded by a social at 5:30
p.m.
Panelists will include Olivia Spann, supervisory park
ranger at the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Home National Monument; Dr. Shirley
Evers-Manly, interim dean of the Alcorn State University School of Nursing; and
Dr. Marcus Ward, senior vice-president of Institutional Advancement and
executive director of the ASU Foundation at Alcorn State University.
Spann will discuss Evers’ work on important cases in
Mississippi, including his work on the 1955 murder of Emmitt Till. Ward will
discuss Evers’ time with Alcorn A&M and his contributions between 1948 and
1952. Additionally, he will talk about the ways in which Alcorn may have
influenced his commitment to human and civil rights. Ward will also discuss
Medgar and Myrlie Evers’ impact on Alcorn since 1963.
Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager
at Visit Natchez, will serve as moderator. Loki Mulholland, Emmy-winning
filmmaker, author, speaker, and director of the film, “The Evers,” will share
remarks via Zoom.
Arceneaux-Mathis will introduce the panelists and
moderator.
The evening will include a showing of the praise dance
video, “I’ve Been Buked and I’ve Been Scorned,” and introductory film, “Medgar
& Myrlie Evers: A Legacy of Courage and Activism.”
On Wednesday, July 2, “The Evers” will be shown at 6
p.m. at Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church at 117 Pilgrim Blvd. The program will
open with a devotion by the Rev. Melvin White, the church’s pastor, and an
introduction by Arceneaux-Mathis.
A reception will be held in the church’s fellowship hall.
Evers was the first NAACP field secretary in Mississippi.
A prominent civil rights activist and organizer, he worked for voting rights
and to improve the lives of Blacks in Mississippi. He also worked to end racial
violence. Evers was assassinated on June 12, 1963, in the carport of his home,
which he shared with his wife, Myrlie, and their children, in Jackson.
His death was considered “the first murder of a
nationally significant leader of the American Civil Rights Movement, and it
became a catalyst for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” according to
the National Park Service.
For more information, call Joyce Mathis at 601-807-4319
or Roscoe Barnes III at 601-492-3004.