Here's Where It Gets Interesting - 50. Mississippi: Medgar Evers and the Civil Rights Movement

Episode Date: November 5, 2021

In this solo episode, Sharon tells the courageous story of Mississippi native Medgar Evers. Medgar was a well-known and well-liked man who was involved in many organizations throughout his time in college, and following this, he became involved in the NAACP and the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s. He never wanted to be in the public eye, but he saw a job that needed to be done. He was gaining momentum in the movement when he was tragically assassinated by a man who did not want the change that he was fighting for. In this story, you will learn more about Medgar’s Civil Rights efforts, in addition to the justice that was served to the man who ended them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, my friends. Thank you so much for joining me today. I have got a story for you that involves murder, intrigue, and ultimately triumph. So let's just cut to the chase and dive right in to our story about Medgar Evers and the beautiful state of Mississippi. I'm Sharon McMahon, and welcome to the Sharon Says So podcast. I bet you've heard the name Medgar Evers before, right? I bet that name rings a bell somewhere in the back of your mind. And let me refresh your memory what he was known for. Medgar Evers, born in Decatur, Mississippi in 1925. You know how when you were a kid and your grandparents were like,

I walked uphill both ways to school with no shoes? That was actually the Evers family. That was Medgar Evers who walked 12 miles a day to attend segregated schools in the 1930s and 40s. 12 miles a day. That is a significant commitment to somebody's education. And ultimately, Medgar Evers graduated from high school. After he graduated from high school, he joined the army and was eventually sent to the European theater of World War II. He became an Army sergeant. He fought in the Battle of Normandy and was honorably discharged from the Army. And then when he returned home, he enrolled in college. He majored in business administration.

He was on the football team. He was on the track team. He sang in the choir. He did debate. He was junior class president. This was a very popular, well-respected man in college. And he eventually finished college, earned a bachelor's degree in 1952. He got married. He had three children. He eventually decided that his life's work was working for civil rights. It was to ensure the equality of all. And so in 1954, the Supreme Court handed down a decision. You probably recognize the name, Brown versus the Board of Education. We've talked about this on another episode of my podcast in the Arkansas episode. In 1954, the Supreme Court said, separate cannot be equal when it comes to schools. By definition, separate cannot be equal.

It doesn't matter if you have two identical buildings, teachers with identical qualifications, separate is inherently unequal. So he decided, great, I'm going to enroll at the University of Mississippi Law School. That's what I'm going to enroll at the University of Mississippi Law School. That's what I'm going to do then. Since separate cannot be equal, schools need to be integrated. I will go to the University of Mississippi. And guess what? I'll give you one guess what happens. His application was rejected on the basis of race. He eventually joined the NAACP, which is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons, one of the nation's oldest civil rights organization. Eventually, by the end of 1954, he became the NAACP's first field secretary for the state of Mississippi. In that position, he did things like organize boycotts,

help new chapters form. He eventually helped James Meredith, who was an Air Force veteran, integrate Ole Miss. By the way, guess how long it took for Ole Miss to finally integrate? it took for Ole Miss to finally integrate. Seven years. Seven years is how long the University of Mississippi defied the United States Supreme Court's order to integrate. Seven years. Medgar Evers became a hero to some. He was very well known, especially among people working for civil rights. And he became an absolute villain to others. He was one of those people who was so well known. He was out there doing things like helping to investigate the death of Emmett Till. He was doing media appearances.

He became so well known that he essentially had a target painted on his back. And several things happened. Like, for example, he was almost run over by a car. He's leaving his office in Jackson, Mississippi. A car nearly ran him over on purpose. A Molotov cocktail thrown into the carport of his house. cocktail thrown into the carport of his house. So multiple assassination attempts to the extent that the FBI began following him around in an effort to keep him from being assassinated. That is how much of a target was on his back. He and his wife, Merle, had to sit their children down and say, children, here is what we should do in the event of a bombing or

a shooting or somebody tries to assassinate daddy. Here is what we have to do. Can you imagine living in a scenario in which your assassination is a very real possibility in your mind, right? How many of us can say that that's the existence that we live where we're like, yeah, well, you know, I could be assassinated. So let's sit down and make sure we know what to do if the house is bombed, children, right? Can you imagine living under those circumstances where your own assassination is a very real possibility? your own assassination is a very real possibility. So one morning, the morning of June 12th, 1963, John F. Kennedy gave a civil rights address to the nation. And it was that address in which he said, we are going to pass the Civil Rights Act. Here's what I propose. And of course, people like Medgar Evers and his wife,

Marley, and people that worked with him, this was a massive moment when the president of the United States on television says, we must pass a federal Civil Rights Act. Literally moments later, Civil Rights Act. Literally moments later, Medgar Evers walking out to his car, gets out of his car. He's holding a bunch of NAACP t-shirts that say, Jim Crow must go. His kids see him pull into the driveway. Medgar Evers was assassinated. A man was hiding in a honeysuckle bush nearby. Shot Medgar Evers was assassinated. A man was hiding in a honeysuckle bush nearby, shot Medgar Evers from behind. He never even saw it coming. The bullet passed through his heart. He was initially thrown to the ground by the impact of the shot. He kind of gets up and staggers towards the door and collapses on his doorstep. His wife heard the gunshots, told the children to get into the bathroom. She opens the door to find her husband lying there bleeding on the doorstep. They rush him to the hospital in Jackson. This man obviously is at a

very, very serious gunshot wound. The hospital in Jackson, Mississippi on June 12th, 1963, looked at a man who was obviously dying from a gunshot wound and said, I'm sorry, he is the wrong color and we will not treat him here. They literally looked at a dying man and said, no, we will not help him in this life-threatening, catastrophic emergency. Murley, by the way, was having none of this. She was absolutely as much a civil rights activist as he was. In fact, she later really made a name for herself in civil rights activism when she explained who he was and said, you will help him. They finally agreed to admit him. But if he had just been a random man,

if he had not been famous Medgar Evers, they absolutely would have said, no, I'm sorry, you'll have to continue on down to the hospital that is meant for people of your race. 50 minutes after arriving at the hospital in Jackson, Mississippi, Medgar Evers died. He was 37 years old. And when I say that there was a national outpouring of horror and grief that this man was literally gunned down on his doorstep from behind. Moments after JFK gave this impassioned speech about our need for civil rights in the United States, the outpouring of anger and grief was significant. 5,000 people marched in Jackson, including Martin Luther King. 3,000 people attended his service. He received the full military honors. Think about 3,000 people

attending your funeral. Think about 5,000 people marching in the streets to protest your death. Think about what a significant impact that individual had on his community to receive that kind of an outpouring. So then of course, who did it? That was the question, right? Who could have done this? Also of note, the morning that Medgar Evers was assassinated, he had no FBI escort. He had been followed around, escorted by the FBI everywhere. That morning, they were not there. And so there became a lot of speculation about were some of these agents actually in cahoots with the person who murdered Medgar Evers? Were they giving up information about where he was and what he was

doing? Why weren't they there? Law enforcement very quickly found a suspect. And when I say very quickly, I mean, within 10 days, they had arrested a suspect and his name was Byron De La Beckwith. Hey, Torontonians. Recycling is more than a routine. It's a vital responsibility. By recycling properly, you help conserve resources, reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, and protect the environment. Toronto's Blue Bin Recycling Program ensures the majority of the right items are recovered and transformed into new products. Recycling right is important and impactful. Let's work together and make a difference.

Because small actions lead to big change. For more tips on recycling, visit toronto.ca slash recycle right. I'm Jenna Fisher. And I'm Angela Kinsey. We are best friends. And together we have the podcast Office Ladies, where we rewatched every single episode of The Office with insane behind the scenes stories,

hilarious guests, and lots of laughs. Guess who's sitting next to me? Steve! It is my girl in the studio! Every Wednesday, we'll be sharing even more exclusive stories from The Office and our friendship with brand new guests, and we'll be digging into our mailbag to answer your questions and comments. So join us for brand new Office Lady 6.0 episodes every Wednesday. Plus on Mondays,

we are taking a second drink. You can revisit all the Office Ladies rewatch episodes every Monday with new bonus tidbits before every episode. Well, we can't wait to see you there. Follow and listen to Office Ladies on the free Odyssey app and wherever you get your podcasts. Let me tell you a little bit more about Byron. So he was born 1924, same exact era as Medgar Evers.

His father died when he was five, and his mother then moved to Greenwood, Mississippi to be near family. His mother died of lung cancer when he was 12, leaving him an orphan, and he was taken in by his uncle and his aunt and lived with them. He then enlisted in the Marine Corps in World War II. He was injured, received a Purple Heart. Corps in World War II. He was injured, received a Purple Heart. He fought in the Pacific Theater of World War II, fought in the Battle of Guadalcanal. He too was honorably discharged from the United States military. When he returned home, he followed a very similar life path to

Medgar Evers. He went to college. He got married. He had some children. But things took a different turn for Byron Dela Beckwith. Beckwith decided that, in fact, he hated people who were not white Protestants. He hated Jews. He hated Catholics. He hated anyone who had a skin tone that was different than his. Eventually, Beckwith joins several different white supremacy organizations, including the KKK. He develops this hatred for Medgar Evers that was difficult to describe. He saw the amount of media attention that Medgar Evers was getting. He saw the changes in public policy that Medgar Evers was able to help with, things like integrating schools. And that angered him to the point that he thought the best way out of this scenario

was just to assassinate Medgar Evers. The police find Beckwith's rifle. It had his fingerprints all over it. He tried to claim like, no, it wasn't mine. Like somebody stole it from me. I don't know what you're talking about. And law enforcement was like, okay, that is not at all accurate. And we're going to put you on trial. You absolutely did it. We're going to put you on trial. So they proceed with choosing a jury. They're going to try De La Bequia for the murder of Medgar Evers. At the time, Mississippi juries were selected from voter rolls. So if you are a

registered voter, you were on the list of people they could call as a potential juror. Nearly all people of color living in Mississippi during this time were disenfranchised. Disenfranchised means that you do not have the right to vote. All of the ways that Mississippi laws were written, despite things like the 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments being passed, despite things that ban poll taxes and literacy tests, very few Black Americans in Mississippi during this time frame met the criteria to be able to vote. And so consequently, the jury that was selected for the Dela Beckwith trial was entirely male and it was entirely white. It certainly didn't help that when the trial

was getting ready to open, the governor of Mississippi arrived at the courthouse, walked into the courtroom, and shook hands with Byron Dalebekwith. In full view of the jury, what might a jury think after seeing that? What might a jury think when a governor arrives at the courthouse to shake hands with the defendant? Are you going to automatically assume, yeah, well, that person's a murderer? Or are you going to perceive that that person has been given the vote of confidence by somebody in an extraordinary amount of power? So I'll give you one guess about what happened. Hung jury, they could not reach a decision. Prosecutors decide, we're going to try it again. Now, a lot of people like to ask about double jeopardy. Double jeopardy,

by the way, is trying somebody more than one time for the same crime. It doesn't apply if the jury is unable to reach a verdict. So a hung jury means can't reach a verdict. Let's try again. Prosecution tries again, puts him on trial a second time. The second time there was a all male, all white jury. Again, the jury was hung. And so prosecutors were like, okay you know what have a nice life and off he goes after he was essentially just let go by the end of 1964 he along with several

other kkk members you know like about a year later are called before the House representatives to speak to the House Un-American Activities Committee to testify about KKK activities. And the other people that were there just pled the Fifth. They were like, nope, plead the Fifth. I'm not going to say anything. They asked Byron Dalobeckwith, what is your name? He gave his name, and then that was all he would say. He refused to say anything else, just invoked the Fifth Amendment over and over and over, answered no other substantive questions. In the years that followed, he became a leader in other segregationist organizations. He became part of the Phineas Priesthood, which was part of this sort of Christian identity movement about white supremacy. And in 1973, the FBI gets a phone call and they're like,

you know what? You might want to take a look at this guy, Dela Beckwith. I think he is up to no good. And what Byron Dela Beckwith was planning to do was murder a Jewish civil rights leader. was murder a Jewish civil rights leader. He was planning to murder A.I. Botnick, who was somebody who worked for the Anti-Defamation League. And the police put him under surveillance for a number of days, kind of watching him, seeing like, can we figure out what he's up to? They eventually observe him getting into his car, driving across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway into New Orleans, and they pull him over. They stop him like a traffic stop. And they find that in his car is a map to A.I. Botnick's house. By the way, the map was highlighted. It was like, here's how we get to his house.

Several loaded firearms and a dynamite time bomb. So of course he was arrested for that. He was arrested for conspiracy to commit murder and went to prison for three years. He went to prison in Louisiana from May of 1977. He eventually got out in January of 1980. Shortly before he entered prison to begin his sentence, he was ordained a Baptist minister. So in 1979, he's in prison. He gets ill. He goes to the infirmary. The nurse that is there is black and he doesn't want to be treated by her. A guard overheard him sort of muttering under his breath, talking about how if he could just get rid of that uppity Medgar Evers, etc. Dela Beckwith leaves prison and literally just goes about his life. It's now 1980. He murdered Medgar Evers quite a long time ago. He gets out, does his thing, gets a job, et cetera. You know who never forgot that Medgar Evers

was assassinated in broad daylight on the steps of his home? His wife, Marley. Never forgot that her husband was assassinated while her children were in the house waiting to see him. She never forgot about that. And she continued to press law enforcement to look for new evidence. She continued to press law enforcement to hold Dela Beckwith to account. Dela Beckwith to account. In 1994, Mississippi decides, we are going to proceed to trial. We are going to bring this man to justice. He doesn't just get to live out there as a free man. That's not how this story is going to end. So at the time Dela Beckwith was living in Tennessee. He was extradited to Mississippi. He was 71 years old, by the way. Before his trial started, he asked the court to

dismiss it, saying, hello, I have a right to a speedy trial. This is not speedy, you guys. It's a long time later. Good job with the speedy trial. And the Mississippi Supreme Court said, hard pass. You are going to go to trial. This does not violate your right to a speedy trial. And the Mississippi Supreme Court said, hard pass. You are going to go to trial. This does not violate your right to a speedy trial. So during this third trial, they bring out the rifle that he assassinated Medgar Evers with. It still had his fingerprints on it. He continued to try to claim it was stolen from his house. He continued to play the like, I have a lot of health problems. Why are you doing this to me? Like I have high blood pressure. I have kidney problems. He really leaned heavily into, I'm an old man now. I'm a sick old man and you should

not be doing this to me. This time in 1994, the trial consisted of eight black people, four white people. They heard all of the evidence. They heard new evidence that had been dug up, including testimony from the guards, testimony from people like the nurse in the infirmary from when Dale Beckwith went to prison for conspiring to murder A.I. Botnick. And at the beginning of 1994, the jury convicted Dale Beckwith of first-degree murder for killing Medgar Evers, and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. By the way, some of the other new evidence that was presented was he talked frequently about how he had killed Evers at KKK events. And some of the people who had overheard that told investigators,

yep, I heard him talk about that a bunch of times. So of course, Dale Beckwith, not pleased about his conviction, he appealed it to the Mississippi Supreme Court. The court literally said, the 31-year lapse between the murder and your conviction does not deny you a fair trial. He then appealed it to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court just straight up said no. They did not hear his case. So on January 21st, 2001, Byron Dela Beckwith died. He was 80 years old. He had health problems when he entered prison. He continued to have health problems presumably throughout his time in prison and died in prison, having served a very small portion of his life for the cold-blooded assassination of Medgar Evers. Let me tell you just a little bit more about some of the things Medgar Evers did.

Do you guys know about the Biloxi wadens? There's all these beautiful beaches in Mississippi along the Gulf Coast. And in the city of Biloxi, Mississippi, those beaches were whites only. Medgar Evers helped organize these things called wade-ins because he was like, this is public land. This is land owned by the state and the state is not permitted to engage in segregation. The wait-ins eventually led to Bloody Sunday, which is where crowds of white counter-protesters descend on the beach and began beating the black beachgoers. This to me was a very powerful statement that Medgar Evers said in response to the Biloxi wait-ins and Bloody Sunday. He said, if we are to receive a beating, let's receive it because we have done something and not because we've done nothing. And I just think about that in terms of today. Obviously, I absolutely want 0% any kind of physical violence. I don't think that that is

useful. I don't believe in engaging in that kind of behavior in which we're going to be beating other people. Absolutely not. But you could use the word beating in a more metaphorical context. Perhaps it is a verbal tongue lashing on social media. Perhaps it is having people dislike you for something that you have done. But this idea that if we're going to receive a beating, let's receive it because we actually did something than because we did nothing. People are going to dislike you either way. If you do nothing, they're going to dislike you. And if you do something, there are going to be people who dislike you and perhaps they will dislike you while you actually accomplish something. I just have been ruminating on that thought for a while. And it really resonates with me that

if I'm going to take a beating either way, how about we take it for having actually done something? After Medgar died, his wife took over a lot of his efforts. She later became the president of the NAACP chapter. She gave the invocation at the second inauguration of Barack Obama. Invocation is sort of the prayer that they say at the beginning of the inauguration ceremony. You can watch it on YouTube, by the way. You can Google for Merle Evers' invocation and find it. It's a lovely sentiment. I really love what she has to say about him. She says, Medgar was a man who never wanted adoration, who never wanted to be in the limelight. He was a man who saw a job that needed to be done. And he answered the call and the fight for freedom, dignity, and justice, not just for his people, but for all people.

justice not just for his people, but for all people. And I was like, well, that's something to be known for. Wouldn't that be amazing if after we are gone, somebody says that about us? That person saw a job that needed to be done, and they answered the call for freedom, dignity, and justice for all people. So Medgar Evers, a man who has gone too soon. And I also really love the idea that Murley just never gave up. And she was like, justice will be served for my husband. Byron Dela Beckwith does not get to walk the earth, a free man, a moment longer. Many people would have just backed down and been like, well, they tried twice. Not Merle. That's it for today, everybody. I hope you enjoyed learning more about Medgar Evers. And I hope this gives you a little bit of food for thought and a jumping

off point for some further research of your own. You can learn more about the Biloxi weight-ins. You can learn more about the work of Medgar Evers, the work of Merle Evers, and I'll see you next time. Thank you so much for listening to the Sharon Says So podcast. I am truly grateful for you. And I'm wondering if you could do me a quick favor. Would you be willing to follow or subscribe to this podcast or maybe leave me a rating or a review? Or if you're feeling extra generous, would you share this episode on your Instagram stories or with a friend? All of those things help podcasters out so much. I cannot wait to have another mind-blown moment with you next episode.

Thanks again for listening to the Sharon Says So podcast.