Jim Crow must Go

The fellow above is one Medgar Evers, born this day 1925 in Decatur, Mississippi. The son of a sawmill owner, Medgar was a very determined lad. In order to get the education that most of us take for granted, he had to walk 12 miles to school each day just to get his high school diploma. I doubt it if was uphill each way, and I figure even if it had been Medgar would have walked it just the same. He was inducted into the army in 1943, and saw service in France during World War II, before being honorably discharged, and moving back home. He enrolled in Alcorn State University, and eventually received his degree in business administration. After a few years of working he applied (in 1954) to the then segregated University of Mississippi Law School (my Alma mater, oh the shame!), and was promptly rejected because of his race. He was appointed the NAACP's first field secretary in Mississippi in 1954, and helped to eventually force those hotty totties of Ole Miss to admit James Meredith in 1962. It was this good work, that would lead to his demise. Meredith's enrollment caused a riot on campus, and Evers began to get him the unwanted attention of white supremacists. After a few close calls, he was in his driveway one night unloading a box of T-shirts that said "Jim Crow must Go!" when he was shot in the back and killed. That act of cowardice inspired the movie "Ghots of Mississippi" which tells the tale of the trial(s) of the bastard that killed Medgar Evers. Check it out, it is a fairly decent film, and you might learn something. So, for having too much courage for his own good, and inspiring a generation of fellow activists, Medgar Evers (July 2nd, 1925-June 13th, 1963, at the age of 37), you are my (313th) hero of the day.