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

white man and at the same time hope to convert him ." It is possible that, particu-
larly due to the emerging popularity and influence of Martin Luther King Jr. and
the conservative posture of the national NAACP leadership, Evers had to distance
himself publicly from all forms of armed resistance . Evers' pro-Mau Mau posi-
tion was well known among some national NAACP leaders . NAACP Southern
Regional Director Ruby Hurley commented about Medgar, "(T)alk about nonvio-
lent, he was anything but nonviolent ; anything but! And he always wanted to go at
it in Mau Mau fashion."=° Evers also was very image conscious . He believed it
was good public relations not to publicly demonstrate anger towards racists . He
also wanted to show the world that Mississippi Blacks were victims of white
supremacist violence . He hoped this could encourage support outside the state and
Federal intervention .=' While Evers did forget about or postpone his plans to build
a secretive Black commando unit, he continued to practice armed self-defense in
his organizing. Medgar first received statewide and national attention when he
applied to the University of Mississippi ("Ole Miss") Law School in 1954 as part
of an NAACP legal challenge to segregated education . Evers was denied admis-
sion, but the NAACP decided not to pursue a suit because they had another task
which would occupy a great amount of his time . In 1954, Medgar was to become
the state's first NAACP field secretary. Evers' job would make him the primary
organizer and spokesperson for the organization in the state . He and his family,
which now included two children, would now move to Jackson, the state capital .
Accepting the job as "point man" in Mississippi at this time was a serious
challenge. Medgar became NAACP field secretary, when the segregationists were
engaged in a serious counter-offensive campaign and gaining momentum. After