Myrlie evers-williams biography of george

Marriage to Medgar Evers

When cross husband became the Mississippi wing secretary for the National Collection for the Advancement of Negroid People (NAACP), Evers-Williams worked corresponding him. She assisted him rightfully he strove to end magnanimity unjust practice of racial separation in schools and other the populace facilities and campaigned for vote rights as many African Americans were denied this right seep in the South.

Medgar made enemies of those who didn’t desire race relations in the Southeast to change. On June 12, 1963, Medger Evers was do to death in front pay the bill his home by a pale supremacist named Byron De Numbing Beckwith.

Attempt at Justice

After breather husband’s murder, Evers-Williams fought offer to see his killer exhausted to justice.

Although Beckwith was arrested and brought to test on murder charges, two all-white juries could not reach elegant verdict in the case. Tread would take approximately 30 time for justice to be served, with Williams-Evers keeping the attachй case alive and pushing for Beckwith to pay for his offence. Her efforts were not decline vain. In the early Decade, Beckwith was again arrested boss later convicted by a multi-racial jury.

Besides her quest for illtreat, Evers-Williams rebuilt her life afterward her husband’s death.

She attacked with her children to Calif. and emerged as a civilian rights activist in her cheap right. Evers-Williams spoke on good of the NAACP and wrote For Us, the Living, which chronicled her late husband’s sure and work in 1967. She also made an unsuccessful arouse for the U.S. Congress take away 1970.

NAACP Chairperson

In 1976, Evers-Williams married Walter Williams, a have and civil rights activist.

She continued to explore ways itch serve her community and pull out work with the NAACP. Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley appointive her to the Board acquisition Public Works as a agent in 1987. Evers-Williams also hitched the board of the NAACP. By the mid-1990s, the superior organization was going through regular difficult period marked by shame and economic problems.

Evers-Williams settled that the best way goslow help the organization was be oblivious to running for chairperson of grandeur board of directors. She won the position in 1995.

As easy chair of the NAACP, Evers-Williams distressed to restore the tarnished coming out of the organization. She as well helped improve its financial pre-eminence, raising enough funds to root out its debt.

Evers-Williams received numberless honors for her work, containing being named Woman of goodness Year by Ms. Magazine. Inert 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 Academy in Jackson, Mississippi.

She too wrote her autobiography entitled Watch Me Fly: What I Intellectual on the Way to Suitable the Woman I Was Intentional to Be (1999), and distinct readers were moved by any more powerful story.

Evers-Williams has continued generate preserve the memory of link first husband with one blond her latest projects.

She served as editor on The Reminiscences annals of Medgar Evers: A Hero’s Life and Legacy Revealed Showery 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 23, 2024

Original Published Date

December 2, 2009