Myrlie evers-williams biography of george

Object Details

Artist

Brian Lanker, 31 Aug 1947 - 13 Mar 2011

Sitter

Myrlie Louise Evers-Williams, born 17 Mar 1933

Exhibition Label

Born Vicksburg, Mississippi

But we keep a-coming. Strong as we’ve always been, more aware of ourselves, our strength, and power potential, willing to take more risks.

— Myrlie Evers-Williams

Myrlie Evers shared Medgar Evers’s strong commitment to civil rights and worked alongside her husband until his assassination outside their Jackson, Mississippi, home in June 1963. White supremacist Byron De La Beckwith was tried for Medgar Evers’s murder but was freed when all-white juries deadlocked after two trials in 1964. Myrlie Evers remained steadfast in her determination to see her husband’s killer brought to justice. Due largely to her efforts, the case was reopened in 1990. De La Beckwith was convicted in 1994 and sentenced to life in prison.

Myrlie Evers-Williams remained dedicated to justice through her public and private sector endeavors.

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Marriage to Medgar Evers

When her husband became the Mississippi field secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Evers-Williams worked alongside him. She assisted him as he strove to end the unjust practice of racial segregation in schools and other public facilities and campaigned for voting rights as many African Americans were denied this right in the South. Medgar made enemies of those who didn’t want race relations in the South to change. On June 12, 1963, tillåter Evers was shot to death in front of his home by a white supremacist named Byron De La Beckwith.

Attempt at Justice

After her husband’s murder, Evers-Williams fought hard to see his killer brought to justice. Although Beckwith was arrested and brought to trial on murder charges, two all-white juries could not reach a verdict in the case. It would take approximately 30 years for justice to be served, with Williams-Evers keeping the case alive and pushing for Beckwith to pa

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OUR OPINION: Myrlie Evers-Williams a deserving recipient of city honor

Published 4:00 am Friday, June 9, 2023

The news that Mayor George Flaggs Jr. and the city of Vicksburg plan to honor one of its own, Myrlie Evers-Williams, brings a sense of pride to many in our community.

A Vicksburg native, Evers-Williams was born here in 1933 and raised by her grandmother and aunt, who instilled in her the value of education. She later married civil rights hero Medgar Evers in Vicksburg at Mt. Heroden Baptist Church in 1951.

Evers-Williams, as we all know today, went on to become a civil rights hero in her own right. Monday marks the 60th anniversary of her husband’s assassination outside their home in Jackson.

In those 60 years, Evers-Williams never let the world forget that her husband didn’t die in vain. She picked up his mantle and continued the fight for equal rights for all people regardless of their race.

It was an honor and a privilege for her to attend the ci