JACKSON, Miss.–The 50th anniversary of the death of civil rights leader Medgar Evers on Wednesday was remembered in downtown Jackson.
The week long celebration culminated with a four-hour program that saw many people speak about his legacy.
“The people that I met today, that will be reading to you, live in a vastly different Mississippi today than fifty years ago,” said Governor Phil Bryant. “Because of men like Medgar Evers.”
At 12 p.m. there was a “Ringing of the Bells” in Museum of Art’s garden where the celebration was held and some of the more famous Evers’ quotes were read.
“If we work with sufficient dedication we will be able to achieve in the not too far distant future, a society in which no one is discriminated against based on his race, religion, or his national origin,” said one quote that was read aloud that Evers spoke over five decades ago.
Other state leaders where on hand to talk about the importance of what he had accomplished, even after his death.
“Pause…remember…and create a quiet space to consider Medgar Evers’ life and the importance of racial reconciliation,” said Mississippi State Senator John Horhn.
An exhibit honoring Evers opened at the Mississippi Museum of Art on Tuesday.
