[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 52 (Wednesday, May 4, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 4, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                        TRIBUTE TO MYRLIE EVERS

                                 ______


                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 4, 1994

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I stand today to recognize 
Mrs. Myrlie Evers for her many contributions to her community and the 
Nation. Mrs. Evers, the widow of slain civil rights leader, Medgar 
Evers, is a native of Vicksburg, MS. She attended Alcorn State 
University in Lorman, MS, and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from 
Pomona College in Claremont, CA.
  Mrs. Evers in an author, public speaker, and former public official. 
She authored a book entitled ``For Us the Living,'' which described her 
life with Medgar Evers and their experiences as active participants in 
the civil rights movement. In the State of California, she has served 
as a commissioner of public works for Los Angeles County. Mrs. Evers 
has also served as a member of the National Board of the NAACP. She is 
currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Medgar Evers College in 
Brooklyn, NY and a member of the Board of Trustees of Tougaloo College 
in Tougaloo, MS.
  Since her husband's untimely death in 1963, Mrs. Evers along with her 
three children have worked diligently to bring her husband's assassin 
to justice. In 1964, the State of Mississippi prosecuted Medgar Evers' 
alleged assassin in two different trials. Each trial resulted in a 
mistrial because jurors failed to reach a verdict. However, Mrs. Evers 
never gave up her dream of securing justice in this case.
  In 1989, a local Jackson, MS, newspaper published excerpts from the 
files of a defunct state agency that was created in the 1950's to 
maintain segregation. The paper reported that this agency had helped 
screen potential jurors in the 1964 cases against Medgar Evers' alleged 
assassin. This information led to a review of the murder case by local 
prosecutors and new witnesses came forward with new evidence regarding 
events surrounding the assassination. She was a major influence in 
encouraging the prosecutors to reopen this case.
  During this period, prosecutors also discovered that there was no 
transcript of the original trial available. However, Mrs. Evers had a 
copy of the original trial transcript and presented the transcript to 
the district attorney's office of Hinds County, MS. A grand jury was 
convened and Byron de la Beckwith, the alleged assassin, was indicted 
and sent to jail without bond.
  Beckwith subsequently appealed the State's refusal to allow him to go 
free on bond and alleged that a third trial would constitute double 
jeopardy as well as a denial of his right to a speedy trial. The 
Mississippi Supreme Court denied his appeal and a third trial commenced 
which resulted in his conviction in 1994 for the murder of Medgar 
Evers. He was sentenced to life in prison.
  Over the last 30 years, Mrs. Evers has demonstrated a strong 
commitment to civil and human rights for all Americans. She recently 
donated the Evers family home in Jackson, MS, to Tougaloo College and 
the home will be converted into a museum to preserve the history of 
civil rights movement in Mississippi. In her role as a public speaker, 
Mrs. Evers continues to serve as a positive role model to young people. 
Mrs. Evers is to be commended for her outstanding contributions to our 
Nation.

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