Eye for an Eye: The Role of Armed Resistance ... - Freedom Archives

The Ascendance of Charles Evers in the Mississippi Movement
On June 11, 1963, Byron de la Beckwith assassinated Mississippi field
secretary of the NAACP Medgar Evers . Since the mid-1950's, Evers had been the
most recognized personality in the Mississippi Movement. It was Evers who had
gone from town to town organizing or revitalizing the NAACP It was Evers, who
personally investigated atrocities and publicized these Mississippi horrors to the
outside world . Who would take his place?
Two days after his assassination, Evers' older brother Charles returned to
Mississippi . After a brief stint as an NAACP activists in Philadelphia, Mississippi,
Charles left for Chicago, because of his, frustration with the Mississippi Freedom
Movement . In Chicago, Charles Evers did not fit the stereotypic profile of a
Movement activist. Besides being a teacher and a small tavern owner, Evers was
involved in the underground economy, including bootlegging, numbers running,
and petty theft . Despite his previous abandoning of the Mississippi Movement and
his involvement in criminal activity, after Medgar's death, Charles was received
in the Black community of Jackson, Mississippi as a returning dignitary.'
Once back in Mississippi it was clear that Charles Evers expected to
continue his brother's work in championing the rights of Mississippi Blacks . He
campaigned for and virtually seized Medgar's position as Mississippi field secre
tary of the NAACP Charles admitted that he was motivated by revenge against
Mississippi white racists and complacent Blacks . His sister-in-law, Medgar's
widow, Myrlie, commented that "Charles sought the job with one thing in mind .
He wanted vengeance . . .He wanted to show them [white racists and accommodat-
ing Blacks] you couldn't get rid of an Evers that easily. . ." While NAACP offi-