It was fifty years ago today, June 12, 1963, that an assassin’s bullet took the life of Medgar Evers in the driveway of the home he shared with his wife, Myrlie Evers, and their three children in Jackson, Mississippi.
I strongly encourage my readers and friends to take a few minutes to watch this powerful interview with Myrlie Evers recorded last week in Washington, D.C. What she and her children suffered and have endured over the years is unimaginable to most white people in the United States. I continue to hope that more white people will learn from the life examples – of tirelessly working for justice, equality, and peace with determination and grace – set by Medgar and Myrlie Evers. To do so will move our nation a long way toward the healing we desperately need.
One of the blessings of my life is to have become friends with Myrlie Evers over the past fifteen years; to have benefited from the wisdom she has shared with me during my own journey of learning about, acknowledging, and healing from the legacy of slavery and racism. I think of Mr. and Mrs. Evers and their family today with deep respect and gratitude, and with love.