Charles Evers took up the mantle left behind the tragic killing of his younger brother Medgar Evers in 1963, carving out his own path in the fight for civil rights. Evers, who was the first Black mayor in the state of Mississippi, celebrates a birthday today.
James Charles Evers was born on this day in 1922 in Decatur, Miss. The Alcorn State University and World War II Army veteran dabbled in some small-time crime ventures such as bootlegging and even prostitution while living in Chicago, but was thrust into the civil rights movement with the June 1963 assassination of his brother, who was gunned down in front of his home by a member of the KKK.
Medgar Evers was the field director for the NAACP in Mississippi, making significant progress in the fight for voter rights and racial equality much to the dismay of local Klan members and segregationists. His older brother returned to his home state after his brother’s death and took over the NAACP position with positive results. (READ MORE)(SOURCE: BLACKAMERICAWEB.COM)