Charles Evers (b. September 11, 1922) has been an important civil rights figure in the United States. Older brother of the civil rights martyr, Medgar Evers, he introduced Medgar to the US civil rights movement. September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... Medgar Evers (July 2, 1925 – June 12, 1963) was an African American civil rights activist from Mississippi. ... The civil rights movement in the United States has been a long, primarily nonviolent struggle to bring full civil rights and equality under the law to all citizens of United States. ...

One evening in 1963 an assassin shot Medgar Evers as Mr. Evers came home from work. As his children begged him to get up, Mr. Evers spiraled toward death. He died in an ambulance. 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ...

Charles Evers was shocked and deeply upset by news of his brother's death. He took over Medgar's post as head of the NAACP in Mississippi, over the opposition of more establishment figures in the NAACP, like Roy Wilkins. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), is one of the oldest and most influential hate organizations in the United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Jackson Largest city Jackson Area  Ranked 32nd  - Total 48,434 sq. ... Roy Wilkins stamp in the Black Heritage series release by the United States Postal Service Roy Wilkins (August 30, 1901 – September 8, 1981) was a prominent civil rights activist in the United States from the 1930s to the 1970s. ...

Many observers likened Medgar Evers to a "saint," in his religious faith, his total devotion to the cause of civil rights and his disregard for his own safety. By contrast, Charles Evers was an unabashed "sinner."

Nevertheless, Mr. Evers did important work leading registration and voting drives in Mississippi, often defying death threats in the process.

In 1969 Charles Evers was elected Mayor of Fayette, Mississippi and was the first African American mayor in Mississippi since Reconstruction. 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... Fayette is a city located in Jefferson County, Mississippi. ... Reconstruction-era military districts in the South For other uses, see Reconstruction (disambiguation). ...

By then, Fayette had a majority of blacks, but African Americans had not enjoyed full voting rights there. Fayette had no industry, which meant it had almost no residents who had grown up outside the area. It was known to be hostile towards black people.

Before becoming mayor, Charles Evers had worked as a cotton picker, dishwasher, bootlegger and short-order cook; as a soldier, cab driver, deejay, and funeral home director -- and as a foot soldier in the civil rights movement, signing up black voters. His swearing-in as mayor had enormous symbolic significance statewide and national resonance. The NAACP named Evers their 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."

He had a strong physical presence and carried his 250 pounds (113 kg) with grace. (He is quoted as saying, "I'll march, I'll picket, but I don't believe in no hunger strikes.") He had the endurance, the driving ambition and the gall of the successful politician -- but never the innate caution.

Charles Evers later ran for Governor of Mississippi, losing the race but showing the way for African American candidates of the future.

Born in Decatur, Mississippi, Evers had a strong, devoutly Christian mother and a fearless father. He learned from his parents that racism was not only wrong but un-Christian, and he always saw the civil rights movement as a Christian movement teaching love, liberation and equality for all. Decatur is a town located in Newton County, Mississippi. ...

During World War II, Charles and Medgar Evers both served in the U.S. Army. Charles fell in love with a Filipino woman overseas but could not marry her and take her back with him to Mississippi because of her "white" skin color. Combatants Allies: Soviet Union, United Kingdom, France/Free France, United States, Canada, China, India, Australia, Poland, New Zealand, South Africa, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, Bulgaria, Finland, Romania, Hungary, Burma Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian...

Back in Mississippi, around 1951, Charles and Medgar Evers grew very interested in Jomo Kenyatta and his use of the "mau-mau" movement to free the nation of Kenya from colonial shackles in Africa. Along with his brother, he 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 the wealthiest blacks in the state. Evers often spoke at the RCNL's annual conferences in Mound Bayou between 1952 and 1955 on such issues as voting rights. Jomo Kenyatta Jomo Kenyatta (October 20, 1892 ?– August 22, 1978) was an African politician, the first Prime Minister (1963–1964) and President (1964–1978) of an independent Kenya. ... The Regional Council of Negro Leadership (RCNL) was probably the leading civil rights organization in Mississippi during the early 1950s. ... Theodore Roosevelt Mason Howard (T.R.M. Howard) (March 4, 1908 —- May 1, 1976) was an African American civil rights leader, fraternal organization leader, surgeon, and entrepreneur. ...

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. Philadelphia is a city located in Neshoba County, Mississippi. ...

In Chicago, Evers says that 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 is said to have been substantial, and much of it was sent back to help the movement.

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."

Charles Evers has also attracted controversy for his support of judicial nominee Charles W. Pickering, in contrast to organizations such as the Mississippi NAACP and the Congressional Black Caucus. He remains distrusted by some blacks for allegedly cooperating with the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission. Charles Willis Pickering, Sr. ... The Congressional Black Caucus is an organization representing African American members of the Congress of the United States. ... The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission was a Mississippi state agency that existed from 1956 to 1977. ...

Charles Evers has befriended an astonishing range of people from sharecroppers to presidents. He was an informal advisor to politicians as diverse as Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert Kennedy, George Wallace and Ronald Reagan. Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States (1963–1969). ... Robert Kennedy Robert Francis Bobby Kennedy, also called RFK (November 20, 1925–June 6, 1968) was the younger brother of President John F. Kennedy, and was appointed by his brother as Attorney General for his administration. ... Governor George Wallace (in front of door) standing defiantly against desegregation while being confronted by Deputy U.S. Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach at the University of Alabama. ... Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981–1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975). ...

Using humor and a knack for the unexpected to keep his critics and opponents off-balance, Evers has also heaped scorn on black leaders who, he believes, are charlatans or have not "paid the price." Rare for a leader, he is willing to attach names to his criticisms, rather than to let them stand as a general exhortation. Charles Evers has been highly critical of such black community leaders as Roy Wilkins, Stokely Carmichael, H. Rap Brown and Louis Farrakhan. Roy Wilkins stamp in the Black Heritage series release by the United States Postal Service Roy Wilkins (August 30, 1901 – September 8, 1981) was a prominent civil rights activist in the United States from the 1930s to the 1970s. ... Carmichael amidst a demonstration near the United States Capitol protesting the House of Representatives action denying Rep. ... H. Rap Brown in 1967 H. Rap Brown (born October 4, 1943) came to prominence in the 1960s as a civil rights worker, black activist, and Justice Minister of the Black Panther Party. ... Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. ...

Evers is a prominent member of the Mississippi Republican party. Official language(s) English Capital Jackson Largest city Jackson Area  Ranked 32nd  - Total 48,434 sq. ... This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ...

Charles Evers has told his sad, complex and inspiring life story well in the memoir "Have No Fear"

Quotes

"Every race of people that's ever been set free, its leaders paid the price. Medgar paid the price, every day. And one day he gave his life."

"To all of you who still hold race hatred in your heart, I ask you please, give it up."

"Whenever you see bigotry, hypocrisy is real close by."

"Have no fear."

References

• Charles Evers and Andrew Szanton, Have No Fear,Have No Fear: The Charles Evers Story (1998 book)
• David T. Beito and Linda Royster Beito, T.R.M. Howard: Pragmatism over Strict Integrationist Ideology in the Mississippi Delta, 1942-1954 in Glenn Feldman, ed., Before Brown: Civil Rights and White Backlash in the Modern South (2004 book), 68-95.
• John Dittmer, Local People: the Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi (1994 book).
• Charles M. Payne, I've Got the Light of Freedom: The Organizing Tradition and the Mississippi Freedom Struggle (1995 book).

External links

• The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, PBS [1]