Biography of: Medgar Evers
Author: Mark Millsaps
Timeline
Leadership Style
Political Philosophy
Timeline
- July 2 1925 Date of Birth
- 1943 Inducted to the Army
- 1946 Held solitary march to the courthouse near his home
- 1950's Recruiter for NAACP
- Dec 24 1951 Married Myrlie Beasley
- 1954 Applied for an denied entry to University of Mississippi Law School.
- 1954 Becomes NAACP Field Secretary for Mississippi
- 1963 Assassinated at home in Jackson Miss. by Byron De La Beckworth
- 1994 De La Beckworth convicted
Leadership Style
Medgar Evers was a very influential man within the violent times of the 1950's. Evers was one of the first black men in America to stand up in Mississippi and speak against racism and segregation. It started rather mildly as he returned from fighting in the second World War. Evers was upset by the racism that he saw in contrast to his service time. He believed that by the time he returned to the states things would be different in the way that blacks were treated.
Evers began to fight against the institution by urging blacks to register to vote. He moved on to organizing sit-ins and boycotts against white owned facilities that discriminated against blacks. As he progressed in his activism he joined the NAACP as their field secretary for Mississippi. Within the organization Evers began to take upon himself the burdens of others. As injustices and crimes were committed against African Americans he was active in defending them and raising public awareness. In the midst of standing up against these social wrongs he inevitably faced opposition. Often Evers received telephone calls threatening the lives of him and his family. Throughout all the threats he remained a man of peace. Evers is quoted as saying, "You shouldn't hate white people. You shouldn't hate anyone. That's no way to live." He went on to say that "Violence is not the way."
Medgar Evers was snuffed out before he really had the opportunity to see the effects he had on the American Civil Rights Movement. Though Evers did have a leadership style which I would say was democratic. He was a team player but took leadership upon himself. He didn't wait for people to tell him what things to involve himself in. Evers was filled with vision that at times went too deep and caused intense frustration at the lack of change within society and the lack of courage among his own people. His assassination sparked many in Mississippi and America to stand up against the injustice of the 1950's.
Political Philosophy
The political philosophy of Medgar Evers would be along the lines of liberalism. He could be seen as progressive or innovational. The reason that I think this is because Evers sought change that was active against the set order whereas many people of this time were ruled by fear. The fear stemmed from white Americans in the South who committed violent acts without facing the consequences of the law. He was willing to die for what he saw was right. Evers is quoted as saying the following, "If I die, it will be for a good cause." Evers involved himself in nonviolent resistance by means of boycott and sit-ins where several times he was physically beaten with batons yet he never reacted with violence nor promoted the use of violence. The point being that he was innovative in changing the ills of society through such things stated above.
At the same time there could be an argument to labeling Evers as progressive because he did work within an established organization which was the NAACP. Through the NAACP he fought for change while abiding to the "rules of the game". Evers was quoted as saying, "Don't curse at them [white people]. You can sometimes win them over if you are just patient enough." The use of violence was out of the question along with slurring their persecutors. Much along the lines of not stooping to their level. Evers was a man of great personal integrity and tried hard not to blatantly offend others. In his mind and in his heart, Evers knew that social change could be brought about through peaceful demonstration instead of violently attacking their hate-filled aggressors.
Medgar Evers, for me, was a hard man to find quotes from. This persuades me to believe that at the time he wasn't sought after for in depth interviews and I don't believe that he sought out the spotlight for his work. He was the kind of man who was clear-headed in his direction and strong and swift to take action against a segregated institution. Though often he was the behind the scenes work horse among the Mississippi movement Medgar Evers was tremendously influential in the unification and foundation of the Civil Rights Movement.
Works Cited
- Evers, Mrs. Medgar, For Us the Living
- Payne, Charles M. I've Got the Light of Freedom
- Sewell, George & Margaret Dwight, Mississippi Black History Makers
- www.encarta.msn.com
- www.worldbook.com
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