Primary Sources: People - The 1960s: Evers, Medgar

"Typewritten letter from Ray E. Robinson, pastor of the Methodist Church in Lodi, Wisconsin. The letter is based on a sermon dated June 16, 1963, and discusses the murder of Medgar Evers and the church's reactions toward his death."

"NAACP field secretary in Mississippi Medgar Evers (1925–1963) was assassinated at his home in Jackson, Mississippi, a few hours after President Kennedy made a nationally televised speech in which he announced he soon would ask Congress to enact civil rights legislation. A portion of a speech by Evers during a direct action campaign to desegregate Jackson was featured in this excerpt from NBC’s The American Revolution of ’63, broadcast September 2, 1963, which also includes footage of sit-ins, beatings, and arrests of protesters in Jackson.

Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. Courtesy of NBC News"

"It has now been 50 years since the assassination of Medgar Evers, the N.A.A.C.P. leader who fought vigorously for southern integration after returning home from World War II. His murder, which historian Taylor Branch called the first assassination of the Civil Rights movement, sparked national outrage and began a new era in the fight for equality. In remembrance of this tragedy, we bring you the original news broadcast of his death, as well as the speeches that Attorney General Eric Holder and President Bill Clinton recently gave in memorial of this courageous man and his enduring legacy."

"Mildred Bond Roxborough, special assistant at the NAACP, met Medgar Evers at the NAACP’s annual meeting in 1955. She recalls their civil rights work together in Mississippi for school integration and voter education, the dangers associated with this work and the assassination of Medgar Evers and others, including Harry Moore."