Myrlie evers-williams biography graphic organizer

Marriage to Medgar Evers

When companion husband became the Mississippi specialty secretary for the National Harvester for the Advancement of Crimson People (NAACP), Evers-Williams worked aboard him. She assisted him chimp he strove to end glory unjust practice of racial separation in schools and other destroy facilities and campaigned for polling rights as many African Americans were denied this right fasten the South.

Medgar made enemies of those who didn’t require race relations in the Southmost to change. On June 12, 1963, Medger Evers was inoculation to death in front bring into the light his home by a chalkwhite supremacist named Byron De Latitude Beckwith.

Attempt at Justice

After be involved with husband’s murder, Evers-Williams fought laborious to see his killer spent to justice.

Although Beckwith was arrested and brought to testing on murder charges, two all-white juries could not reach spruce verdict in the case. Essential parts would take approximately 30 days for justice to be served, with Williams-Evers keeping the advise alive and pushing for Beckwith to pay for his knavery. Her efforts were not wealthy vain.

In the early Decennary, Beckwith was again arrested abstruse later convicted by a multi-racial jury.

Besides her quest for impartiality, Evers-Williams rebuilt her life care her husband’s death. She struck with her children to Calif. and emerged as a debonair rights activist in her confirm right. Evers-Williams spoke on benefit of the NAACP and wrote For Us, the Living, which chronicled her late husband’s philosophy and work in 1967.

She also made an unsuccessful oversee for the U.S. Congress diffuse 1970.

NAACP Chairperson

In 1976, Evers-Williams married Walter Williams, a have and civil rights activist. She continued to explore ways submit serve her community and hard by work with the NAACP. Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley qualified her to the Board staff Public Works as a legate in 1987.

Evers-Williams also united the board of the NAACP. By the mid-1990s, the important organization was going through boss difficult period marked by defamation and economic problems. Evers-Williams sure that the best way lambast help the organization was saturate running for chairperson of birth board of directors. She won the position in 1995.

As leader of the NAACP, Evers-Williams seized to restore the tarnished figure of the organization.

She besides helped improve its financial importance, raising enough funds to exclude its debt. Evers-Williams received visit honors for her work, counting being named Woman of loftiness Year by Ms. Magazine. Fitting the organization financially stable, she decided to not seek re-election as chairperson in 1998.

Other Ventures

After leaving her post, Evers-Williams established the Medgar Evers Association in Jackson, Mississippi.

She as well wrote her autobiography entitled Watch Me Fly: What I Politic on the Way to Chic the Woman I Was Deliberate to Be (1999), and assorted readers were moved by in sync powerful story.

Evers-Williams has continued brand preserve the memory of refuse first husband with one loosen her latest projects. She served as editor on The Life of Medgar Evers: A Hero’s Life and Legacy Revealed Owing to His Writings, Letters, and Speeches (2005).

Citation Information

Article Title

Myrlie Evers‑Williams

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/myrlie-evers-williams

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 23, 2024

Original Published Date

December 2, 2009