The Autobiography of Medgar Evers: A Hero's Life and Legacy Revealed Through his Writings, Letters, and Speeches

by Myrlie Evers-Williams, Manning Marable

Overview

On the evening of June 12, 1963 — the day President John F. Kennedy gave his most impassioned speech about the need for interracial tolerance "Medgar Evers, the NAACP's first field secretary in Mississippi, was shot and killed by an assassin's bullet in his driveway. The still-smoking gun — bearing the fingerprints of Byron De La Beckwith, a staunch white supremacist — was recovered moments later in some nearby bushes. Still, Beckwith remained free for over thirty years, until Evers's widow finally forced the Mississippi courts to bring him to justice. The Autobiography of Medgar Evers tells the full story of one the greatest leaders of the civil rights movement, bringing his achievement to life for a new generation. Although Evers's memory has remained a force in the civil rights movement, the legal battles surrounding his death have too often overshadowed the example and inspiration of his life. Myrlie Evers-Williams and Manning Marable have assembled the previously untouched cache of Medgar's personal documents, writings, and speeches. These remarkable pieces range from Medgar's monthly reports to the NAACP to his correspondence with luminaries of the time such as Robert Carter, General Counsel for the NAACP in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case. Most important of all are the recollections of Myrlie Evers, combined with letters from her personal collection. These documents and memories form the backbone of The Autobiography of Medgar Evers a cohesive narrative detailing the rise and tragic death of a civil rights hero.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780465021789
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	08/29/2006
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	202,813
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.88(d)

About the Author

Myrlie Evers-Williams is the widow of slain civil rights hero Medgar Evers and former chairwoman of the NAACP. She has continued the work of her late husband, and her tireless efforts to bring about social change have kept his memory alive. Myrlie Evers-Williams lives in Bend, Oregon. Manning Marable is Professor of History, Political Science, and Public Policy, at Columbia University. Marable lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

	Preface	xiii
	Introduction: A Servant-Leader of the People: Medgar Wiley Evers (1925-1963)	xvii
Chapter I	Bring Justice Sure	1
	Documents 1-11 (December 1954-December 1955)
1	Medgar Evers, Memorandum, "Report on Mississippi," December 1954	17
2	Memorandum to Mr. Wilkins from Mr. Current, December 13, 1954	21
327
(1)	Amzie Moore to Roy Wilkins, January 17, 1955
(2)	Medgar Evers to Amzie Moore, January 27, 1955
(3)	Medgar Evers to J.E. Walker, Tri-State Bank, January 27, 1955
(4)	Gloster Current to Medgar Evers, February 1, 1955
(5)	Roy Wilkins to Amzie Moore, November 18, 1955
4	Medgar Evers to Lucille Black, July 20, 1955	33
534
(1)	Henry Lee Moon to Medgar Evers, September 16, 1955
(2)	Evers to Moon, December 5, 1955
6	Gloster B. Current to Medgar Evers, October 5, 1955	37
7	Telegram, Medgar Evers to Roy Wilkins, October 27, 1955	38
8	Medgar Evers, Memorandum, "Report on Death of Tim L. Hudson," November 3, 1955	39
9	Transcript of a telephone conversation, Medgar Evers and Gloster B. Current, December 8, 1955	41
10	Roy Wilkins to Medgar Evers, December 21, 1955	43
11	Transcript of a telephone conference call, Medgar Evers, Ruby Hurley, and Gloster B. Current, December 27, 1955	45
Chapter II	Trial By Fire	47
	Documents 12-23 (June 21, 1956-November 14, 1957)
12	Monthly Report: "June 3 Meeting," "Bundles for Freedom," "Membership Campaign," and "Branches Visited," June 21, 1956	53
1354
(1)	Medgar Evers to Martin Luther King, Jr., July 31, 1956
(2)	King to Evers, December 11, 1956
14	Telegram to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, October 25, 1956	57
1559
(1)	Roy Wilkins to Medgar Evers, December 18, 1956
(2)	Evers to Wilkins, December 28, 1956
(3)	Evers to Wilkins, February 1, 1957
(4)	Wilkins to Evers, February 8, 1957
(5)	Evers to Wilkins, March 11, 1957
16	Medgar Evers to William Stratton, Governor of Illinois, March 20, 1957	67
17	Monthly Report: "The Alcorn Situation," "Report on Branch Activities," and "Hinds County Grand Jury Hearing," March 25, 1957	69
18	Medgar W. Evers, Introduction of Congressman Charles C. Diggs, Jackson, Mississippi, May 19, 1957	72
19	Medgar W. Evers, Address, Mount Heron Baptist Church, Vicksburg, Mississippi, August 11, 1957	73
20	Medgar Evers to Robert Carter, General Counsel, NAACP, September 4, 1957	78
21	News Release, Mississippi State Conference of NAACP Branches, October 15, 1957	79
22	"Integration Seen by '63, Mississippi NAACP Aide Finds Progress in State," New York Times, November 10, 1957	80
23	Annual Report, 1957, November 14, 1957	80
Chapter III	Why I Live in Mississippi	85
	Documents 24-34 (January 24, 1958-March 23, 1959)
24	Medgar Evers to Ruby Hurley, NAACP Southeastern Regional Secretary, January 24, 1958	91
25	Medgar Evers to Roy Wilkins, April 1, 1958	92
26	Monthly Report: "Registration and Voting," "Fund-Raising," and "Memberships," April 11, 1958	94
2797
(1)	Medgar Evers to Johnnie M. Brooks, May 15, 1958
(2)	Evers to Brooks, May 23, 1958
28	Medgar Evers, Address, Celebration of the Brown decision's fourth anniversary, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Branch of NAACP, Masonic Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, May 18, 1958	99
29	Medgar Evers to Gloster B. Current, Director of Branches, NAACP, September 8, 1958	107
30	Monthly Report: "Intimidation," September 23, 1958	110
31	Medgar Evers, "Why I Live in Mississippi," originally published in Ebony, November 1958	111
32	Annual Report, 1958: "Registration and Voting" and "Desegregation," January 1959	122
33125
(1)	Medgar Evers to Gloster B. Current, February 24, 1959
(2)	Current to Evers, March 24, 1959
34	Monthly Report: "Registration and Voting" and "Mississippi Teachers Association," March 23, 1959	128
Chapter IV	Our Need for Political Participation	131
	Documents 35-44 (May 21, 1959-March 22, 1960)
35	Monthly Report: "Speaking Engagements," "The Poplarville Incident," and "May 17th Celebration," May 21, 1959	137
36	Medgar Evers, Address to the Los Angeles Branch of the NAACP, Los Angeles, California, May 31, 1959	140
37	Monthly Report: "Speaking Engagements," June 22, 1959	156
38	Medgar Evers, Address to the Area Conference of the Florida Branches of the NAACP, Panama City, Florida, September 6, 1959	158
39	Medgar Evers, Address at Vesper Services, J. P. Campbell College, Jackson, Mississippi, October 25, 1959	160
40	Medgar W. Evers, Field Secretary, "Comments on Mississippi NAACP Operations," January 1960	163
41	"Race Sentencing Hit, NAACP Compares Terms of Negroes and Whites," United Press International, New York Times, January 23, 1960	166
42	Medgar Evers, Address at the Men's Day Program of the Freemont African Methodist Episcopal Church, Miles, Mississippi, February 28, 1960	166
43170
(1)	Medgar Evers to Gloster B. Current, March 9, 1960
(2)	C. R. Darden, President, Mississippi State Conference Branches, NAACP, to Medgar Evers, March 14, 1960
(3)	C. R. Darden to Gloster B. Current, March 14, 1960
(4)	Medgar Evers to Gloster B. Current, March 15, 1960
44	Monthly Report: "Branch Activity" and "Sit-Down Protests," March 22, 1960	174
Chapter V	Keep Your Eyes on the Prize	177
	Documents 45-55 (April 19, 1960-December 20, 1960)
45	Report to Mrs. Ruby Hurley from Medgar W. Evers, Field Secretary, April 19, 1960	184
46	Monthly Report: "Branch Activity" and "Anti-Segregation Demonstrations," April 21, 1960	185
47	Monthly Report: "Biloxi Anti-Segregation Demonstration," May 23, 1960	188
48	Monthly Report: "Action," June 29, 1960	190
49	Monthly Report: "Branch Activities" and "Investigations," July 22, 1960	191
50	Memorandum, Gloster B. Current to Roy Wilkins, "Regarding the Beating of Johnny Frazier, State President, NAACP Mississippi Youth Council," August 29, 1960	193
51	Report of Medgar Evers (Press Release), August 30, 1960	194
52	Monthly Report: "Investigation," August 30, 1960	195
53	Monthly Report: "Civil Rights Commission," October 19, 1960	198
54	Monthly Report: "The Clyde Kennard and Medgar Evers Cases," December 20, 1960	199
55	"...with Liberty and Justice for All...," Mississippi NAACP Branch Newsletter, December 20, 1960	202
Chapter VI	Taking Freedom for Ourselves	213
	Documents 56-69 (February 12, 1961-October 14, 1962)
56	Medgar Evers, Address to the Jackson NAACP Branch, New Mount Zion Baptist Church, Jackson, Mississippi, February 12, 1961	220
57	Medgar Evers, "Yesterday-Today," Text Fragment, February 12, 1961	223
58	Medgar Evers to Roy Wilkins, March 29, 1961	223
59	Medgar W. Evers, Address to Mass Protest Meeting, Jackson, Mississippi, April 20, 1961	225
60	Monthly Report: "Desegregation Activities," April 21, 1961	228
61	Memorandum, "NAACP Plans Jackson, Mississippi, Voter Meeting," June 7, 1961	230
62	"NAACP Aide is Freed, Supreme Court of Mississippi Upsets Contempt Finding," United Press International, New York Times, June 13, 1961	231
63	Monthly Report: "Branch Activity," "Legal Action," "Zoo Sit-In," and "Freedom Riders," June 21, 1961	231
64	Monthly Report: "Direction Action," September 6, 1961	234
65	Medgar Evers to Roy Wilkins, Gloster B. Current, and Ruby Hurley, Memorandum, "Operation of Other Civil Rights Organizations in the State of Mississippi," October 12, 1961	235
66	"Seven Negroes Arrested for Boycott Role," United Press International, December 8, 1961	243
67	Medgar Evers to Alfred Baker Lewis, February 1, 1962	243
68	Medgar Evers, Address for the Men's Day Program, New Jerusalem M. B. Church, Jackson, Mississippi, July 22, 1962	245
69	Dorothy Giliam, "Mississippi Mood: Hope and Fear," Washington Post, October 14, 1962	249
Chapter VII	I Speak as a Native Mississippian	255
	Documents 70-81 (November 7, 1962-June 10, 1963)
70	Monthly Report: "Boycott of Mississippi State Fair for Negroes" and "17th Annual State Conference, NAACP," November 7, 1962	263
71	"'Quarantine' on Segregated States Urged," Los Angeles Times, November 10, 1962	264
72	Transcriptions of two handwritten notes from Medgar to his family, November 27, 1962, and December 1, 1962	265
73	Monthly Report: "Speaking Engagements," "Selected Buying Campaign," and "Investigation," January 4, 1963	266
74	Monthly Report: "Poll Tax," "Meredith Returns," "Labor and Industry," "Clyde Kennard," and "Investigation," February 7, 1963	269
75	Monthly Report: "School Desegregation," "Investigation," "Registration and Voting," and "Labor," March 6, 1963	274
76	Medgar Evers, "Special Report," April 1, 1963	278
77	Medgar Evers, Televised Address, "I Speak as a Native Mississippian," May 20, 1963	280
78	Telegram to President John F. Kennedy, June 1, 1963	283
79	"Roy Wilkins Is Arrested at Jackson: NAACP Official Accused of Felony; D.C. Man Seized," Associated Press, Washington Post and Times Herald, June 2, 1963	284
80	Wallace Terry, "Negroes' 'Awakened Militancy' Now Centers on Mississippi," Washington Post, June 7, 1963	287
81	Medgar W. Evers, Press Statement, June 10, 1963	290
Chapter VIII	After Medgar, No More Fear	291
	Documents 82-89
82	President Kennedy to Myrlie Evers, June 13, 1963	298
83	Bill Peters, "A Talk with Medgar Evers," New York Post, June 12 and 16, 1963	298
84	Myrlie Evers, "He Said He Wouldn't Mind Dying-If...," Life, June 28, 1963	304
85	Myrlie Evers, Remarks in Acceptance of the 48th Spingarn Medal for Medgar Evers (posthumously) at the 54th Annual NAACP Convention, July 4, 1963	309
86	Medgar W. Evers, Address, "Our Need for Political Participation," Tougaloo College, Jackson, Mississippi, no date	310
87	Medgar W. Evers, Address, "Ingratitude vs. the NAACP," no date, no location	313
88	Medgar W. Evers, Address, "Life Challenges for Today's Youth," no date, no location	315
89	Medgar W. Evers, Address, "The Challenge Is Ours," no date, no location	316
	Notes	319
	Bibliography	327
	Index	331

Editorial Reviews

Medgar Evers left no autobiography per se. The civil rights activist never reached an age when he could reflect quietly on his life; he was cut down by an assassin's bullet in June 1963, a month before his 38th birthday. This influential black intellectual did however leave a significant cache of personal documents that reflect a fearless man in action. The papers include Evers's stunning speeches (many of which have been previously published), his monthly reports to the NAACP, and his personal correspondence. This landmark volume also contains the recollections of Myrlie Evers, Medgar's widow.

In an era filled with charismatic leaders, Evers (1925-1963) came to national attention primarily as the victim of "the first political assassination of a major leader of the modern Black Freedom Movement." As NAACP field secretary in Mississippi, Evers recruited NAACP members, desegregated schools, registered voters and organized boycotts. The work was usually undramatic, but always perilous. Evers's widow and historian Marable seek to redress Evers's relative absence from the historical record. But more than half of these 89 documents (from the years 1954-1963) are mundane monthly reports to or business correspondence with the NAACP. Ten Evers speeches are included along with eight newspaper articles, four press releases, a telegram to Eisenhower and one to Kennedy, an NAACP newsletter, a "text fragment," a posthumous Life interview. There's no clue to the principle of selection. With the exception of two very brief notes to his family, there is no personal correspondence. This monument is a tomb ready for excavation by historians of the Civil Rights movement, but it's not for the ordinary reader looking for an autobiography of Medgar Evers. It reveals the quotidian work rather than the indomitable man. (June) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

June 2005 marks the 42nd anniversary of the assassination of Evers, the civil rights leader and first Mississippi field secretary of the NAACP. His autobiography has been put together for the first time by his widow, Evers-Williams, and Marable (history, Columbia Univ.; W.E.B. DuBois: Black Radical Democrat) from Evers's unpublished papers and personal collections as well as Evers-Williams's recollections. The resulting text resurrects the life, intellectual output, and creative legacy of the slain civil rights hero. Evers became a marked man throughout Mississippi as a result of his tireless civil rights efforts, which included making it possible for blacks to vote, having the first black, James Meredith, admitted to the University of Mississippi, and bringing national attention to the lynchings of Emmett Till and Mack Charles Parker. In the early 1960s "inside the Evers home, furniture was piled in front of all the windows, and the barricaded nature was not uncommon for a civil rights person in Mississippi." On June 12, 1963, at age 37, Evers was gunned down in the driveway of his home in Jackson. His was the first political assassination of a prominent leader of the modern Black Freedom Movement. This autobiography is deftly organized into eight chapters, the final two being "I Speak as a Native Mississippian" and "After Medgar, No More Fear." These chapters enunciate his greatest achievements: his relentless struggle and determination to stay in Jackson against all odds and his bequest to fear no more. An excellent resource on the Civil Rights Movement for both academic and public libraries.-Edward McCormack, Cox Lib. Media Ctr. & Curriculum Lab, Univ. of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast, Long Beach Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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