Medgar Wiley Evers was born in 1925 in Decatur, Mississippi, to James and Jessie Evers. During his childhood in Decatur, Eversencountered overt racism on a daily basis. When he was twelve years old, a family friend was lynched, and the man’s bloody clothing hung on a fence for more than a year as a sign of intimidation. While in his teens, Everswatched from a safe distance as white gangs patrolled the streets of Decatur on Saturday nights looking for a black target to beat up or run down with their cars.
Evers determined to make something of himself, despite the hatred of local white people. After dropping out of high school at seventeen, he joined the army and soon found himself fighting on Europe’s battlefields during World War II. (1)
After his sophomore year in high school, Medgar followed [his brother] Charles into the Army during World War II. He was assigned to a segregated field battalion in England and France.
Read Full Article »