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.
