The U.S. Navy Names Supply Ship After Slain Civil Rights Leader Medgar Evers

The U.S. Navy has named a supply ship after slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers. The nearly 700 foot-long vessel will deliver food, ammunition and parts to other ships at sea. During the civil rights movement, Evers organized nonviolent protests, voter registration drives and boycotts in Mississippi. He rose to the post of state field secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He was assassinated in the driveway of his home in Jackson, Mississippi on June 12, 1963, by white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith,  after he was returning from a meeting with NAACP lawyers. His death prompted President John F. Kennedy to ask Congress for a comprehensive civil rights bill.

Medgar Evers & Byron De La Beckwith (Mark Steiner Show)

During World War II, Evers volunteered for the U.S. Army and participated in the Normandy invasion. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. In 1964, the first trial of primary suspect De La Beckwith ended with a deadlock by an all-white jury, sparking numerous protests. Of course, this was no surprise given the racial climate then. A second all-white jury failed to reach a decision and he was set free. Three decades later, the state of Mississippi reopened the case and in February 1994, a racially mixed jury in Jackson found him guilty of murder. At age 73 the unrepentant racist was sentenced to life in prison.

According to a statement released by the Navy, "The selection of Medgar Evers ... honors the pioneering spirit of the late civil rights activist from Mississippi who forever changed the face of race relations in the South." "At a time when our country was wrestling with finally ending segregation and racial injustice, Evers led civil rights efforts to secure the right to vote for all African-Americans and to integrate public facilities, schools and restaurants."