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, lecturer
Spouse	Medgar Evers (m. 1951; died 1963), Walter Williams (m. 1976; died 1995)
Alma mater	Pomona College, University of Southern California

Myrlie Evers-Williams. Myrlie Evers-Williams is an American civil rights activist, author, and lecturer, best known as the widow of assassinated civil rights leader Medgar Evers. Following his murder, she became a prominent activist in her own right, dedicating her life to seeking justice for his death and continuing the fight for racial equality. Her later leadership as the first woman to chair the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was pivotal in revitalizing the historic organization.

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. This environment instilled in her a strong value for education. She attended the historically black Alcorn State University for two years, where she studied education and music. It was at Alcorn that she met her future husband, Medgar Evers, a returning World War II veteran and upperclassman. She later completed her bachelor's degree in sociology at Pomona College in Claremont, California, and pursued further studies at the University of Southern California.

Marriage to Medgar Evers and activism

Myrlie Beasley married Medgar Evers on December 24, 1951. The couple moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where Medgar became the first field secretary for the NAACP in Mississippi. Myrlie Evers worked closely with her husband as his secretary, confidante, and partner in the dangerous work of organizing voter registration drives and investigating racial violence, including the lynching of Emmett Till. Their home in Jackson became a target for white supremacists, subjected to firebombings and constant threats. Myrlie Evers was instrumental in managing the office, documenting cases, and raising their three children—Darrell, Reena, and James—under the persistent shadow of violence from groups like the White Citizens' Council and the Ku Klux Klan.

Life after Medgar Evers's assassination

On June 12, 1963, Medgar Evers was assassinated by a sniper in the driveway of their home. Myrlie Evers witnessed the shooting. In the immediate aftermath, she displayed remarkable courage, comforting her children and becoming a public face of the movement's grief and resolve. She moved her family to Claremont, California, but dedicated herself to seeking justice for her husband's murder. She attended both trials of the accused assassin, Byron De La Beckwith, in the 1960s, which resulted in hung juries. Undeterred, she tirelessly campaigned for the case to be reopened. Her decades-long persistence, alongside new evidence uncovered by journalist Jerry Mitchell of *The Clarion-Ledger*, led to a third trial in 1994. Beckwith was finally convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Political career and NAACP leadership

In California, Myrlie Evers-Williams built an independent career in politics and business. She served as director of consumer affairs for Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) and made an unsuccessful bid for the United States House of Representatives in 1970. She married longshoreman and civil rights activist Walter Williams in 1976. Her most significant institutional role came in 1995 when she was elected chairperson of the NAACP's National Board of Directors, becoming the first woman to hold the position. She took the helm during a period of deep crisis for the organization, which was facing financial insolvency and scandal under previous executive director Benjamin Chavis. Evers-Williams is widely credited with restoring the NAACP's fiscal health, integrity, and national prominence through decisive leadership and fundraising. She served until 1998, overseeing the selection of Kweisi Mfume as president and CEO.

Later life and legacy

Myrlie Evers-Williams has remained an active lecturer and author. She published a memoir, *Watch Me Fly: What I Learned on the Way to Becoming the Woman I Was Meant to Be*, and co-authored *For Us, the Living* with William Peters. She has received numerous honors, including the NAACP Spingarn Medal and honorary degrees from several colleges. In a historic moment, she delivered the invocation at the second inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2013. Her life's work is preserved at institutions like the Library of Congress and the University of Michigan. The legacy of Myrlie Evers-Williams is defined by her transformation from the widow of a martyr into a formidable leader who ensured her husband's killer was convicted and who steered a cornerstone Civil Rights Movement institution back from the brink.