Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument/NPS

After years of consideration, the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument has officially been established in Mississippi.

While then-Interior Secretary Sally Jewell designated the home of the slain Civil Rights leader a National Historic Landmark in January 2017, and the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018 passed legislation to turn it into a national monument, it wasn't until Congress passed the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act early in 2019 that the monument designation was bestowed.

This past week Interior Secretary David L. Bernhardt recognized the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument in Jackson, Mississippi, as the 423rd unit of the National Park System.

After World War II, where Evers participated in the Battle of Normandy, he went to college to study business management at Alcorn State University. He also became active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and was targeted for his efforts to see Blacks treated equally in society.

In the weeks leading up to his death, Evers found himself the target of a number of threats. His public investigations into the murder of Emmett Till and his vocal support of Clyde Kennard left him vulnerable to attack. On May 28, 1963, a molotov cocktail was thrown into the carport of his home, and five days before his death, he was nearly run down by a car after he emerged from the Jackson NAACP office. Civil rights demonstrations accelerated in Jackson during the first week of June 1963. A local television station granted Evers time for a short speech, his first in Mississippi, where he outlined the goals of the Jackson movement. Following the speech, threats on Evers’ life increased.

On June 12, 1963, Evers pulled into his driveway after returning from an integration meeting where he had conferred with NAACP lawyers. Emerging from his car and carrying NAACP T-shirts that stated, “Jim Crow Must Go”, Evers was struck in the back with a bullet that ricocheted into his home. He staggered 30 feet before collapsing, dying at the local hospital 50 minutes later. Evers was murdered just hours after President John F. Kennedy’s speech on national television in support of civil rights. -- NAACP

The home had been acquired by the National Park Service by way of conveyance from Tougaloo College on June 18, 2020. The monument commemorates the legacies of two civil rights activists who, from their modest, 3-bedroom ranch home, devoted their lives to ending racial injustice and improving the quality of life for African Americans.

“It is an honor to establish the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument,” said Bernhardt. “Medgar Evers was a true American hero who fought the Nazis at Normandy and fought racism with his wife Myrlie on the home front. It is our solemn responsibility as caretakers of America’s national treasures to tell the whole story of America’s heritage for the benefit of present and future generations. The life works of these great Americans helped shape our nation in making the United States a more perfect union, and for that, we should all be grateful.”

"We are so pleased that the National Park Service has made our family home in Jackson a national monument. Our parents sought justice and equality for all Mississippians and knew such change locally would impact globally," said Reena and James Van Evers, the couple's surviving children. "Living a life of service, our parents didn't make sacrifices for accolades or awards. Our father fought for his country during World War II, and our mother equally served on the battlefields here in America.

"The battle continues to ensure that all Americans deserve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” they added. “We are delighted that our house, always enclosed in love and respect, is nestled in a community that provides hope and opportunity. It's still serving as a reminder of our divided past and an educational tool to bring knowledge, excellence, and positive participation to all who visit to study icons in American history: our parents, Medgar and Myrlie Evers."

While the home is not currently open to public tours, in the coming months the National Park Service will work with partners and the community to develop plans to accommodate visitors. The national monument consists of an approximately 0.15-acre parcel of land and the Evers’ home.