WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS: King Performs at Annual Evers Homecoming Event

King Performs at Annual Evers Homecoming Event

By Kandiss Crone
kandiss@wlbt.net

Civil rights leader Medgar Evers would have been 83 years old on Monday, had he not been fatally shot after returning home from an NAACP meeting in June of 1963.

Forty-five years after his assassination, his legacy of equality still lives on.

"When he was killed, we couldn't use a white restroom or a white water fountain," says his brother, Charles. "Now we use all the fountains. When he was killed there was total segregation, schools and all. Now they're all totally integrated. This is some of the progress we made."

In honor of his brother, each year Charles Evers and blues musician B.B. King host a homecoming celebration to reflect on the fight for equality and to celebrate the political, economical, and social progress of the Black community.

Just this week, Illinois Senator Barack Obama secured the Democratic presidential nomination, becoming the first African American to lead his party in the race for president. Both Evers and King say they never imagined racial progress of this caliber.

"I never thought America was ready for it," King said. "I thank God I'm still alive today to see this happen."

"I never dreamed I'd see a black man with this kind of recognition," Evers said. "It wasn't about black folks only; it was about many millions of whites, and that's what Medgar fought for and what he died for so we can bring our races together and work for a common cause."

Other events as part of the homecoming include a banquet, parade, and concert.

For a complete list of events visit: http://www.wmpr901.com/events.php