Charles Evers
Encyclopedia
James Charles Evers is a prominent American civil rights
advocate. The older brother of slain civil rights activist Medgar Evers
, Charles Evers is a leading civil rights spokesman within the Republican Party
in his native Mississippi
. In 1969 he became the first African American since the Reconstruction era elected as mayor in a Mississippi city, Fayette
. He ran for governor in 1971 and the United States Senate in 1978, both times as an independent
.
, Evers had a strong, devoutly Christian
mother and father.
During World War II
, Charles and Medgar Evers both served in the U.S. Army. Charles fell in love with a Filipino
woman overseas. He could not marry her and go to his native Mississippi because of her "white" skin color. Mississippi had enshrined Jim Crow
rules in its constitution, which prohibited interracial marriages.
and the rise of the Kikuyu tribal resistance to colonialism in Kenya
, known as the "Mau-Mau" Rebellion as it moved to open violence. Along with his brother, Charles became active in the Regional Council of Negro Leadership
(RCNL), a civil rights organization that also promoted self-help and business ownership. He drew inspiration from Dr. T.R.M. Howard, the president of the RCNL, who was one of the wealthiest blacks in the state. Between 1952 and 1955, Evers often spoke at the RCNL's annual conferences in Mound Bayou
on such issues as voting rights.
Around 1956, Evers's entrepreneurial gifts and his civil rights activism landed him in trouble in Philadelphia, Mississippi
. He left town and moved to Chicago
. There, he vowed to support the movement back home, and fell into a life of hustling, running numbers for the Mob, and managing prostitutes. The money he made was said to have been substantial, and much of it was sent back to help the Civil Rights Movement.
In 1963, Byron De La Beckwith
shot Medgar Evers as he arrived home from work. Evers died in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. Charles Evers was shocked and deeply upset by news of his brother's death. Over the opposition of more establishment figures in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP) like Roy Wilkins
, Charles took over Medgar's post as head of the NAACP in Mississippi
.
In 1969, Charles Evers was elected mayor
of Fayette, Mississippi
, the first African-American mayor in his state since Reconstruction. By then, Fayette had a majority of black residents, but African Americans had been effectively disfranchised in Mississippi from 1890 to 1965 and passage of the Voting Rights Act
. Fayette had no industry, which meant it had almost no residents who had grown up outside the area. Its white community was known to be hostile towards black people.
Evers' election as mayor had enormous symbolic significance statewide and national resonance. The NAACP named Evers the 1969 Man of the Year. John Updike
mentioned Evers in his popular novel Rabbit Redux
. Evers popularized the slogan, "Hands that picked cotton can now pick the mayor."
Evers served many terms as mayor of Fayette. Admired by some, he alienated others with his inflexible stands on various town issues. Evers did not like to share or delegate power. The political rival who finally defeated Evers in a mayoral election used the slogan: "We've seen what Fayette can do for one man. Now let's see what one man can do for Fayette."
In 1971 Evers ran but was defeated in the gubernatorial general election
by Democrat William "Bill" Waller
, 601,222 (77 percent) to 172,762 (22.1 percent); Waller had been the original prosecutor of Byron De La Beckwith. In 1978, Evers ran for the Senate seat vacated by James O. Eastland. He finished in third place behind his opponents, Democrat Maurice Dantin and Republican Thad Cochran
, but he received 24 percent of the vote. Cochran won the election and still holds the Senate seat.
Evers attracted controversy for his support of judicial nominee Charles W. Pickering
, a fellow Republican, who was nominated by President Bush for a seat on the US Court of Appeals. Evers criticized the NAACP and other organizations for opposing Pickering despite what he claimed was a record of supporting the civil rights movement in Mississippi.
Evers has befriended a range of people from sharecroppers to presidents. He was an informal advisor to politicians as diverse as Lyndon B. Johnson
, George Wallace
, Ronald Reagan
and Robert Kennedy. On the other hand, Evers has severely criticized black leaders who, he believes, are charlatans or have not "paid the price". Charles Evers has been highly critical of such black community leaders as Roy Wilkins
, Stokely Carmichael
, H. Rap Brown
and Louis Farrakhan
.
Evers' autobiography is titled Have No Fear.
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
advocate. The older brother of slain civil rights activist Medgar Evers
Medgar Evers
Medgar Wiley Evers was an African American civil rights activist from Mississippi involved in efforts to overturn segregation at the University of Mississippi...
, Charles Evers is a leading civil rights spokesman within the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in his native Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. In 1969 he became the first African American since the Reconstruction era elected as mayor in a Mississippi city, Fayette
Fayette, Mississippi
Fayette is a city in Jefferson County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,242 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Jefferson County.-Geography:Fayette is located at ....
. He ran for governor in 1971 and the United States Senate in 1978, both times as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
.
Early life and education
Born in Decatur, MississippiDecatur, Mississippi
Decatur is a town in Newton County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,426 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Newton County...
, Evers had a strong, devoutly Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
mother and father.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Charles and Medgar Evers both served in the U.S. Army. Charles fell in love with a Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
woman overseas. He could not marry her and go to his native Mississippi because of her "white" skin color. Mississippi had enshrined Jim Crow
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...
rules in its constitution, which prohibited interracial marriages.
Career
In Mississippi about 1951, Charles and Medgar Evers grew interested in African freedom movements. They were interested in Jomo KenyattaJomo Kenyatta
Jomo Kenyattapron.] served as the first Prime Minister and President of Kenya. He is considered the founding father of the Kenyan nation....
and the rise of the Kikuyu tribal resistance to colonialism in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, known as the "Mau-Mau" Rebellion as it moved to open violence. Along with his brother, Charles became active in the Regional Council of Negro Leadership
Regional Council of Negro Leadership
The Regional Council of Negro Leadership was a society in Mississippi founded by T. R. M. Howard in 1951 to promote a program of civil rights, self-help, and business ownership...
(RCNL), a civil rights organization that also promoted self-help and business ownership. He drew inspiration from Dr. T.R.M. Howard, the president of the RCNL, who was one of the wealthiest blacks in the state. Between 1952 and 1955, Evers often spoke at the RCNL's annual conferences in Mound Bayou
Mound Bayou, Mississippi
Mound Bayou is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi. The population was 2,102 at the 2000 census. It is notable for having been founded as an independent black community in 1887 by former slaves led by Isaiah Montgomery. By percentage, its 98.4 percent African-American majority population is one...
on such issues as voting rights.
Around 1956, Evers's entrepreneurial gifts and his civil rights activism landed him in trouble in Philadelphia, Mississippi
Philadelphia, Mississippi
Philadelphia is a city in and the county seat of Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,303 at the 2000 census.- History :...
. He left town and moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. There, he vowed to support the movement back home, and fell into a life of hustling, running numbers for the Mob, and managing prostitutes. The money he made was said to have been substantial, and much of it was sent back to help the Civil Rights Movement.
In 1963, Byron De La Beckwith
Byron De La Beckwith
Byron De La Beckwith, Jr. was an American white supremacist and Klansman from Greenwood, Mississippi who was convicted in the 1994 state trial of assassinating the civil rights leader Medgar Evers on June 12, 1963....
shot Medgar Evers as he arrived home from work. Evers died in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. Charles Evers was shocked and deeply upset by news of his brother's death. Over the opposition of more establishment figures in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
(NAACP) like Roy Wilkins
Roy Wilkins
Roy Wilkins was a prominent civil rights activist in the United States from the 1930s to the 1970s. Wilkins' most notable role was in his leadership of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ....
, Charles took over Medgar's post as head of the NAACP in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
.
In 1969, Charles Evers was elected mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Fayette, Mississippi
Fayette, Mississippi
Fayette is a city in Jefferson County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,242 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Jefferson County.-Geography:Fayette is located at ....
, the first African-American mayor in his state since Reconstruction. By then, Fayette had a majority of black residents, but African Americans had been effectively disfranchised in Mississippi from 1890 to 1965 and passage of the Voting Rights Act
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S....
. Fayette had no industry, which meant it had almost no residents who had grown up outside the area. Its white community was known to be hostile towards black people.
Evers' election as mayor had enormous symbolic significance statewide and national resonance. The NAACP named Evers the 1969 Man of the Year. John Updike
John Updike
John Hoyer Updike was an American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic....
mentioned Evers in his popular novel Rabbit Redux
Rabbit Redux
Rabbit Redux is a 1971 novel by John Updike. It is the second book in his "Rabbit" series, beginning with Rabbit, Run and followed by Rabbit Is Rich, Rabbit At Rest, and the related 2001 novella, Rabbit Remembered.-Plot summary:...
. Evers popularized the slogan, "Hands that picked cotton can now pick the mayor."
Evers served many terms as mayor of Fayette. Admired by some, he alienated others with his inflexible stands on various town issues. Evers did not like to share or delegate power. The political rival who finally defeated Evers in a mayoral election used the slogan: "We've seen what Fayette can do for one man. Now let's see what one man can do for Fayette."
In 1971 Evers ran but was defeated in the gubernatorial general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
by Democrat William "Bill" Waller
Bill Waller
William Lowe "Bill" Waller, Sr. was an American politician. A Democrat, he served as Governor of Mississippi from 1972 to 1976. As a local prosecutor, he unsuccessfully prosecuted Byron De La Beckwith in the murder of civil rights advocate Medgar Evers. Both trials ended in hung juries...
, 601,222 (77 percent) to 172,762 (22.1 percent); Waller had been the original prosecutor of Byron De La Beckwith. In 1978, Evers ran for the Senate seat vacated by James O. Eastland. He finished in third place behind his opponents, Democrat Maurice Dantin and Republican Thad Cochran
Thad Cochran
William Thad Cochran is the senior United States Senator from Mississippi and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the Senate in 1978, he is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and was its chairman and 2005 to 2007.-Early life:He was born in Pontotoc,...
, but he received 24 percent of the vote. Cochran won the election and still holds the Senate seat.
Evers attracted controversy for his support of judicial nominee Charles W. Pickering
Charles W. Pickering
Charles Willis Pickering, Sr. is a retired federal judge who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.- Background :...
, a fellow Republican, who was nominated by President Bush for a seat on the US Court of Appeals. Evers criticized the NAACP and other organizations for opposing Pickering despite what he claimed was a record of supporting the civil rights movement in Mississippi.
Evers has befriended a range of people from sharecroppers to presidents. He was an informal advisor to politicians as diverse as Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
, George Wallace
George Wallace
George Corley Wallace, Jr. was the 45th Governor of Alabama, serving four terms: 1963–1967, 1971–1979 and 1983–1987. "The most influential loser" in 20th-century U.S. politics, according to biographers Dan T. Carter and Stephan Lesher, he ran for U.S...
, Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
and Robert Kennedy. On the other hand, Evers has severely criticized black leaders who, he believes, are charlatans or have not "paid the price". Charles Evers has been highly critical of such black community leaders as Roy Wilkins
Roy Wilkins
Roy Wilkins was a prominent civil rights activist in the United States from the 1930s to the 1970s. Wilkins' most notable role was in his leadership of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ....
, Stokely Carmichael
Stokely Carmichael
Kwame Ture , also known as Stokely Carmichael, was a Trinidadian-American black activist active in the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement. He rose to prominence first as a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and later as the "Honorary Prime Minister" of the Black Panther Party...
, H. Rap Brown
H. Rap Brown
Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin , also known as H. Rap Brown, was chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s, and during a short lived alliance between SNCC , later the Justice Minister of the Black Panther Party...
and Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr. is the leader of the African-American religious movement the Nation of Islam . He served as the minister of major mosques in Boston and Harlem, and was appointed by the longtime NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad, before his death in 1975, as the National Representative of...
.
Evers' autobiography is titled Have No Fear.
External links
- The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, PBS http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_people_evers.html
- 90.1 WMPR, http://www.wmpr901.com/c_evers.php Jackson Mississippi, Charles Evers station manager : bluesBluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, urban contemporary gospelUrban contemporary gospelTraditional black gospel is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music...
, talk, variety - Oral History Interview with Charles Evers, from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library