As NAACP field secretary, Evers traveled the state for years speaking to local groups, recruiting members, organizing youth councils, aiding the poor, and documenting civil rights abuses. While his natural sympathies pulled him toward direct action protests, he remained loyal to the more cautious NAACP agenda. His funeral drew some 4,500 people, including civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph Abernathy, and Roy Wilkins. With Jackson police out in full force, the funeral march nearly exploded into a full-scale race riot as Black youths expressed their outrage.
Pictured: A black and white photograph of the procession following Medgar Evers’ funeral service. Hundreds of mourners wearing all black make their way through Jackson, down the center of the street.
Credit: AP Photo/File
