Thread by @erosen1

1/4 #BLM OTD civil Rights activist Medgar W. Evers was shot in the back by a white supremacist in front of his Jackson, Mississippi home. He was only 37 years old. Born in Decatur, Mississippi, on July 2, 1925,
#BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory

2/4 He became involved with the NAACP when working for a Black insurance company in the Mississippi Delta in 1952. As the 1st NAACP field officer in the state, he recruited new members & investigated incidents of racial violence.
#BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory

3/4 Evers was instrumental in helping James Meredith, a Black student, enter the University of Mississippi in 1962. He & his family were subject to attacks from white supremacists. On May 28, '63, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at his home.
#BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory

4/4 A U.S. army veteran who fought in the Battle of Normandy during World War II, Evers was buried on June 19, 1963, in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. & received full military honors in front of more than 3,000 mourners.
#BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory