Myrlie Evers-Williams

Myrlie Evers-Williams
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christopher S. Johnso · Public domain · source
Name	Myrlie Evers-Williams
Caption	Evers-Williams in 2013
Birth name	Myrlie Louise Beasley
Birth date	17 March 1933
Birth place	Vicksburg, Mississippi, U.S.
Occupation	Civil rights activist, author, public official
Spouse	Medgar Evers (m. 1951; died 1963), Walter Williams (m. 1976; died 1995)
Known for	NAACP chairwoman (1995–1998), activism for justice for Medgar Evers

Myrlie Evers-Williams. Myrlie Evers-Williams is an American civil rights activist, author, and public official who served as the national chairwoman of the NAACP from 1995 to 1998. She is best known for her decades-long fight for justice following the 1963 assassination of her first husband, Medgar Evers, and for her own significant leadership in the Civil Rights Movement. Her life's work has been dedicated to advancing racial equality, voting rights, and social justice.

Early life and education

Myrlie Louise Beasley was born on March 17, 1933, in Vicksburg, Mississippi. She was raised primarily by her grandmother, Annie McCain Beasley, and an aunt, Myrlie Beasley Polk, who were both schoolteachers and instilled in her the value of education. She attended the segregated public schools of Vicksburg and showed early talent in music, studying piano and voice. In 1950, she enrolled at Alcorn State University (then Alcorn A&M College), a historically Black institution, where she intended to major in music education. It was at Alcorn that she met Medgar Evers, a returning World War II veteran and upperclassman, who would become her husband and partner in activism.

Marriage to Medgar Evers and activism

Myrlie Beasley married Medgar Evers on December 24, 1951. The couple moved to Mound Bayou, Mississippi, where Medgar worked as an insurance salesman for Magnolia Mutual Life Insurance Company, a Black-owned company that also served as a cover for organizing voter registration drives. Myrlie worked as his secretary, a role that immersed her in the dangerous work of the Movement. In 1954, Medgar became the first NAACP's field secretary for Mississippi, and the family moved to the state capital, Jackson. Myrlie Evers became a full partner in her husband's work, managing the office, coordinating events, and documenting the relentless threats and acts of violence from white supremacist groups like the White Citizens' Council and the Ku Klux Klan. She also raised their three children—Darrell, Reena, and James—in an environment of constant fear and courage.

Assassination of Medgar Evers and aftermath

On June 12, 1963, Medgar Evers was assassinated by a sniper in the driveway of their home in Jackson. Myrlie Evers, who was inside with their children, witnessed the murder. The killing, which occurred just hours after President John F. Kennedy delivered a major civil rights address, galvanized the nation and intensified the push for what would become the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The first two trials of the accused assassin, white segregationist Byron De La Beckwith, in 1964 ended in hung juries by all-white juries. For the next three decades, Myrlie Evers-Williams (she remarried in 1976) dedicated herself to seeking a conviction, working with journalists, prosecutors, and the Hinds County District Attorney's office to reopen the case. Her persistence paid off when new evidence was presented, leading to Beckwith's third trial and final conviction for murder in 1994. This legal victory was a landmark moment for Mississippi and the pursuit of justice for Civil Rights-era crimes.

Later career and public service

After her husband's murder, Myrlie Evers-Williams moved her family to Claremont, California. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Pomona College in 1968. She built a career in corporate and public service, working in community affairs for the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) and serving as commissioner on the Los Angeles Board of Public Works from 1987 to 1991, appointed by Mayor Tom Bradley. She also authored the memoir For Us, the Living (1967) and lectured widely on racial justice and social change. In 1993, she delivered the invocation at the first inauguration of President Bill Clinton, a historic moment that brought her national prominence.

NAACP leadership and legacy

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