"You can kill a man, but you can't kill an idea." – Myrlie Evers
The Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute promotes:
Integrity • Dignity • Self-Determination • Social and Economic Justice • Political Voice
~ 50th Anniversary ~
In partnership with museums, universities, foundations, and national organizations across the country, the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute is sponsoring events commemorating the 50th anniversary of Medgar Evers’ assassination, culminating in a series of activities in Washington, D. C., and Jackson, Mississippi, in June 2013.
Please make plans now to join us for these historic events. View the Medgar Evers, American Hero: Honor His Life, Live His Legacy brochure with details about the upcoming events and how you can be a sponsor or purchase tickets at this link. Download a pdf copy of the brochure here.
MEDGAR EVERS COMMEMORATION
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
(Current as of May 13, 2013, the schedule is continuously updated.)
These events are sponsored by the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute.
Download a copy of the schedule here.
Washington, D.C.
June 5
Memorial Service, Arlington National Cemetery – 12 noon
The Legacy of Medgar Evers Symposium, The Newseum, 7:30 p.m.
Jackson, Miss.
June 6-12
Homecoming events sponsored by Charles Evers:
June 6 – Gospel Concert, Tougaloo College, 6 p.m.
•••
June 7 – 50th Celebration Banquet, Masonic Temple, 7 p.m.
Parade beginning at Freedom Corner: Medgar Evers Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive – 10 a.m.
•••
June 8 – Inaugural Medgar Evers International Day of Justice and Service
www.MEdayofjusticeandservice.org
•••
June 9 –Medgar Evers Sunday
Faith leaders all over the world will remember Medgar Evers and celebrate his Legacy
by sharing a message of “Unity and Faith.”
Liturgy for Racial Reconciliation Commemorating the Life and Legacy of Medgar Evers,
St. Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral, 4 p.m.
Medgar Evers Exhibit Grand Opening and Reception, Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center, 6 p.m.
•••
June 10-11— Where Medgar Walked: Civil Rights Sites Tours (citywide) June 10-11 — Civil Rights Film Festival, Davis Planetarium
•••
June 11 — Day of Commitment
Youth Congress: Dedicated to the Cause of Freedom, Cabot Lodge Millsaps
•••
June 12— International Day of Remembrance, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Art Garden Celebration on the Green, Mississippi Museum of Art
Music • Art • Food Festival • Literacy Fair • Reflections and Book Signings by Historians
and Authors • Sponsor Exhibits
Service of the Bells, Noon – 12:30 p.m.
Memorial and Praise in Word and Song
50th Anniversary Commemorative Tribute Gala, Jackson Convention Complex, 7:30 p.m.
To purchase gala tickets, call 601-878-1881
•••
Exhibits Honoring Medgar and Myrlie Evers and Civil Rights
COFO Civil Rights Education Center at Jackson State University – ongoing
William Winter Archives and History Building – opening May 1
Eudora Welty Education and Visitors Center – opening May 15
Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center – opening June 9
Mississippi Museum of Art – opening June 11
•••
Alcorn State University Events
Medgar Wiley Evers ’52 Memorial National Dedication Ceremony, June 13, 10 a.m.
Medgar Evers Heritage Village, Lorman, Miss.
•••
Torch of Justice Awards Luncheon, June 13, noon
Davey L. Whitney Arena Complex
HOTEL INFORMATION
Download hotel information here.
Host Hotel: Downtown
Hilton Garden Inn
235 W. Capitol St.
Jackson, MS 39201
601-353-5464
Double $105.00
King Suite $250.00
Hilton Jackson: At I-55 North
1001 East County Line Road
Jackson, MS 39211
601-957-2800
Double $99.00
Jackson Marriott: Downtown
200 East Amite Street
Jackson, MS 39201
866-539-8430
Double $129.00
"Once in a blue moon someone comes along in politics who has it all – intelligence, dedication, charm, wit and a warm feeling for people … that is Mrs. Myrlie Evers."
– U. S. Senator Alan Cranston, California, 1970
~ Partners ~
SPONSORS
We are most grateful to the sponsors who have made generous contributions to the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute and the 50th anniversary commemoration.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Many organizations are working with the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute, honoring Myrlie Evers for her vision, courage, and leadership and in recognition of the 50 th anniversary of the assassination of Medgar Evers, American hero.
(WILL SEND LIST OF NAMES AFTER MEETING WITH REENA THIS AFTERNOON)
~ Media ~
Myrlie Evers-Williams' Commencement Address Full of MemorableBy Ole Miss News
“I have no regrets for what has happened, except one (referring to Medgar Evers' assassination). That single event changed all our lives. Not just mine or my children's, but many.”
Evers-Williams Addresses Ole Miss Graduates - WTOKBy WTOK
Evers-Williams' first husband, Medgar Evers, was denied admission to the University of Mississippi law school in 1954, when the state's education system was still segregated. He worked as field secretary of the Mississippi NAACP and was assassinated.
Myrlie Evers-Williams to speak today at opening of Medgar EversClarion-Ledger
In the same building where Mississippi lawmakers embraced slavery and adopted a state Constitution disenfranchising African Americans, Myrlie Evers-Williams will speak.
NAACP meets in Miss. capital and honors memory of Evers, its state leader slain 50 years agoBy Washington Post
NAACP leaders from around the country are honoring the memory of the group’s former Mississippi leader, Medgar Evers, nearly 50 years after he was assassinated outside his Jackson home.
"In the racial picture things will never be as they once were. History has reached a turning point, here and over the world."
– Medgar Evers, 1963
~ History ~
Medgar Evers was a pioneering visionary for civil rights in the 1950s and early 1960s in Mississippi. As the state's first field secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), he was one of the most visible leaders in the civil rights movement in America. His assassination on June 12, 1963, galvanized President John F. Kennedy to ask Congress for a comprehensive civil rights bill, which was signed into law the following year by President Lyndon Johnson.
From the beginning, Myrlie Evers worked alongside her husband, Medgar. In the years following his assassination, she continued the pioneering work they had begun together. An author, lecturer, and educator, she was one of the first African American women to run for Congress. She made significant strides in corporate America as Director for Community Affairs at the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) in the 1970s. In 1995, she was elected chairperson of the NAACP and helped rebuild and restore the national reputation of that organization.
In 1998, she founded the Medgar Evers Institute, with the initial goal of preserving and advancing the legacy of Medgar Evers' life's work. Anticipating the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Medgar Evers and recognizing the international leadership role of Myrlie Evers, the Institute’s board of directors changed the organization’s name to the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute and moved its home office from Oregon to Mississippi in 2012.
Currently Myrlie Evers lives on the campus of Alcorn State University in Mississippi, where she is distinguished scholar-in-residence. She also serves as chairman of the Institute, with the mission of championing civil rights with a focus on history, education, and reconciliation, especially among young people.
~ Mission ~
We envision a world in which everyone deserves respect and dignity. With collective conviction, people have the capacity, power, right, and responsibility to achieve and secure economic, social, and political justice. Our goal is to accomplish this mission through the following primary strategies:
- Develop new generations of socially and politically activated people by transferring knowledge, sharing wisdom, and nurturing civic engagement
- Create an inter-generational bridge between youth and elders where a cross pollination of ideas and perspectives address difficult and persistent issues
- Utilize technological innovation to bring people together from different places to dialogue, learn, and work together
- Provide a safe haven for intellectual development where novice and seasoned practitioners and thought leaders can engage in debate, publish, and issue calls for action
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Dedication:
"If we work with sufficient dedication, we will be able to achieve, in the not too distant future, a society in which no one is discriminated against on the basis of his race, his religion or his national origin. Our faith is invested in a law that is over and above man-made laws. We are dedicated to the cause of freedom and will continue to fight under God's law, without fear of consequence." –Medgar Evers, May 31, 1959
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The Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute is a not-for-profit charitable corporation. Contributions are tax deductible to the full extent of the law under the IRS Code Section 501(c)(3).
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