Political Quotes

“I stand today to pay tribute to a slain civil rights leader, the late Medgar Wiley Evers. After graduating from the public schools in Decatur, MS, he enlisted in the U.S. Army where he served in World War II. Upon returning from the Army, he then enrolled in Alcorn State University in Lorman, MS where he earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration. Medgar began his career as an insurance agent with the Magnolia Mutual Insurance Co. in Mound Bayou, MS. Thereafter, he moved to Jackson, MS, and became active with the Mississippi chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 1954, he was appointed field secretary of the Mississippi NAACP. Under Medgar's leadership, the NAACP advocated desegregation of public schools throughout Mississippi. In fact, he served as a plaintiff on behalf of his three children to desegregate the Jackson, MS, School System. In addition, he worked closely with NAACP lawyers in getting the first black student admitted to the University of Mississippi in 1962. As the only full-time staff member of the Mississippi NAACP, Medgar devoted his life to fighting the injustices that plagued blacks in the State. He was actively involved in every major mass movement for social change in Mississippi from 1954 until his assassination in 1963.”