African-American activist Myrlie Evers-Williams was born Myrlie Louise Beasley in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1933. While a student at Alcorn A&M College, she met World War II veteran Medgar Evers, who would become her husband and the Mississippi field secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). After her husband was shot to death by a white supremacist in 1963, Evers-Williams pushed for the killer’s conviction, finally achieving justice in the 1990s. She was named chairperson of the NAACP board of directors in 1995, and worked to restore the image of the venerable organization. Afterward, she established the Medgar Evers Institute in Jackson, Mississippi, and penned her autobiography.
Marriage to Medgar Evers
When her husband became the Mississippi field secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Evers-Williams worked alongside him. She assisted him as he strove to end the unjust practice of racial segregation in schools and other public facilities and campaigned for voting rights as many African Americans were denied this right in the South. Medgar made enemies of those who didn’t want race relations in the South to change. On June 12, 1963, Medger Evers was shot to death in front of his home by a white supremacist named Byron De La Beckwith.
Attempt at Justice
After her husband’s murder, Evers-Williams fought hard to see his killer brought to justice. Although Beckwith was arrested and brought to trial on murder charges, two all-white juries could not reach a verdict in the case. It would take approximately 30 years for justice to be served, with Williams-Evers keeping the case alive and pushing for Beckwith to pay for his crime. Her efforts were not in vain. In the early 1990s, Beckwith was again arrested and later convicted by a multi-racial jury.
Besides her quest for justice, Evers-Williams rebuilt her life after her husband’s death. She moved with her children to California and emerged as a civil rights activist in her own right. Evers-Williams spoke on behalf of the NAACP and wrote For Us, the Living, which chronicled her late husband’s life and work in 1967. She also made an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Congress in 1970.
NAACP Chairperson
In 1976, Evers-Williams married Walter Williams, a labor and civil rights activist. She continued to explore ways to serve her community and to work with the NAACP. Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley appointed her to the Board of Public Works as a commissioner in 1987. Evers-Williams also joined the board of the NAACP. By the mid-1990s, the prestigious organization was going through a difficult period marked by scandal and economic problems. Evers-Williams decided that the best way to help the organization was by running for chairperson of the board of directors. She won the position in 1995.
As chairperson of the NAACP, Evers-Williams worked to restore the tarnished image of the organization. She also helped improve its financial status, raising enough funds to eliminate its debt. Evers-Williams received many honors for her work, including being named Woman of the Year by Ms. Magazine. With the organization financially stable, she decided to not seek re-election as chairperson in 1998.
Other Ventures
After leaving her post, Evers-Williams established the Medgar Evers Institute in Jackson, Mississippi. She also wrote her autobiography entitled Watch Me Fly: What I Learned on the Way to Becoming the Woman I Was Meant to Be (1999), and many readers were moved by her powerful story.
Evers-Williams has continued to preserve the memory of her first husband with one of her latest projects. She served as editor on The Autobiography of Medgar Evers: A Hero’s Life and Legacy Revealed Through His Writings, Letters, and Speeches (2005).
