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Evers was shot and killed in his own driveway on June 12, 1963 by long-time Klan member Byron De La Beckwith. After Evers’ funeral, Jackson, Miss. cops arrested over 350 black demonstrators under a parade-permit injunction, including ministers and young children. Medgar Evers is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

The shooter, Byron De La Beckwith, was tried and released twice by all-white hung juries. He was re-tried in 1994 at 74 years old, and found guilty of first-degree murder. De La Beckwith died six years later while still imprisoned.

Now, 50 years after his death, a private ceremony was held at his gravesite in his honor. People gathered at the Arlington National Cemetery to remember the legacy of Medgar Evers. Notables such as journalist Gwen Ifill, Benjamin Jealous of the NAACP, Former President Bill Clinton, Evers’ widow, Myrlie Evers-Williams and her surviving children were there to talk about the life and meaning behind the work of Medgar Evers. President Obama hosted the Evers family in the Oval Office this week in an emotional closed meeting. The event was also accompanied by a black-tie gala.

(Photo: AP)

Little Known Black History Fact: The Legacy of Medgar Evers: 50 Years Later  was originally published on blackamericaweb.com

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