Medgar Evers was a leader of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. He was a WWII veteran and a graduate of Alcorn State University (a traditionally black school) with a degree in Business Administration. He first made history when he applied to law school at the University of Mississippi (better known as Ole Miss) and was turned down based on the color of his skin.
He became a vocal champion of equal education opportunities for blacks and worked within the ranks of the NAACP to desegregate Mississippi's universities. Unfortunately, his work was not appreciated by all Mississippians and he was gunned down in front of his home on June 12, 1963. His killer, Byron de la Beckwith, went unpunished until until 1994 when new evidence brought the case back into the court. He was sentenced to life in prison and died in 2001. The case is chronicled in the movie, The Ghosts of Mississippi.
Being one of Mississippi's most prominent citizens, Jackson's airport bears his name. These photos come from a wing of the airport which pays tribute to both Evers and other Civil Rights leaders and the work they did.
7 comments:
superbe post, c'est un sujet très important. c'est bien que l'on se souvienne et que l'histoire fasse son travail.
superb post, it is a very important subject. it is that we can remember and that history does its work.
I didn't know his name was given to the airport. Very good to see him memorialized.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment on our blog. Jack's sister lives in Cleveland, MS and teaches at Delta State. I like the delta!
As for attracting bluebirds. They like open spaces and frequently used to make nests in holes in old wooden fence posts. Each bluebird house should be a 1000 feet from one another. We broke that rule on the arbor just to keep the arbor looking symetrical. There is lots of info on attracting bluebirds to your yard on the internet so do some searches to get more info.
Take care and enjoy the delta this Memorial (Decoration) Day Weekend.
Have you been to the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis? I thnk you would enjoy it.
Nice post.
Thanks for the tips J&J! I guess I'll keep waiting for someone to occupy our birdhouse. :)
Chris, have not been to the CR Museum in Memphis. I will have to check it out next time I'm there. They are putting one together here in Jackson too. It's hard to imagine how different life was even just 50 years ago.
Nice tribute - It's such a shame that civil rights had to be fought for, but great that there were those like Medgar Evers who stood for what he believed in - the truth, that all men are created equal.
Wonderful post! I flew into Jackson a few years ago but didn't notice these or realize that the airport was named for... very cool and informative!
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