President Joe Biden awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to the late civil rights icon Medgar Wiley Evers and 18 other Americans.
Evers, born in 1925 in Decatur, Mississippi, is remembered for his unwavering dedication to the civil rights movement despite facing relentless racism and threats to his life.
His childhood was marked by the pervasive specter of racism, with incidents like the lynching of a family friend serving as stark reminders of the injustice prevalent in the community. Determined to make a difference, Evers enlisted in the Army during World War II, serving with distinction in a segregated field battalion in England and France.
After returning, Evers earned a Bachelor of Arts from Alcorn College, where he met Myrlie Beasley, whom he married in 1951. He embarked on a career in activism, joining the NAACP and organizing boycotts and protests to combat segregation and discrimination. His efforts caught the attention of the NAACP national leadership, leading to his appointment as Mississippi’s first field secretary for the organization.
Evers also organized boycotts and advocated for the admission of African American students to the University of Mississippi. Despite facing constant threats and violence, Evers remained steadfast in his commitment to the cause of equality. A white supremacist assassinated Evers on June 12, 1963, outside his home, sparking outrage and galvanizing the civil rights movement.
South Carolina Democratic Rep. James Clyburn will also receive a Medal of Freedom
Representing South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, Clyburn has served since 1993, making history as the first African American to hold multiple terms as Majority Whip. A South Carolina State University graduate, he began his career as a public school teacher in Charleston before assuming roles as an employment counselor and director of youth and community development programs.
Among the recipients joining Evers and Clyburn are:
Clarence B. Jones, a civil rights activist and confidant of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., played a pivotal role in shaping the civil rights movement and preserving Dr. King’s legacy.
In 1962, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter recommending his lawyer and advisor, Clarence B. Jones, to the New York State Bar, stating: “Ever since I have known Mr. Jones, I have always seen him as a man of sound judgment, deep insights, and great dedication. I am also convinced that he is a man of great integrity.”
In summing up his sentiments on King’s life, Jones remarked in a 2007 interview:
“Except for Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, Martin Luther King Jr., in 12 years and 4 months from 1956 to 1968, did more to achieve justice in America than any other event or person in the previous 400 years.”
Opal Lee, known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” is an educator and activist who has played a crucial role in making Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday. In 2016, at 89 years old, she marched from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., to rally for the designation. The 1,400-mile trek was a series of 2.5-mile marches that represented the two-and-a-half years it took for the news of emancipation to reach the last remaining enslaved people in Galveston, Texas.
Dr. Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman in space, who continues to inspire future generations as a leading figure in science and exploration.
