Medgar Evers Becomes First NAACP Field Secretary in Mississippi

In 1954, Medgar Evers becomes the NAACP's first field secretary in Mississippi, building the organization's presence in the most dangerous state for civil rights work. Evers investigates lynchings, documents the Emmett Till murder scene, attempts to desegregate the University of Mississippi, and registers voters despite constant death threats. His car is bombed. He is shot and killed in his driveway on June 12, 1963 by white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith, who is not convicted until 1994.