The Mississippi College School of Law awarded a posthumous honorary degree to Medgar Wiley Evers during its graduation ceremony Friday. The degree was presented to Evers’ family along with a framed citation honoring his life, leadership, and impact, according to the law school.
“MC Law is humbled and honored that its name will now be forever linked with that of Medgar Wiley Evers through the awarding of this Honorary Doctor of Laws degree,” said Dean John Anderson.
Evers, the NAACP’s first field secretary in Mississippi, was denied admission to the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1954 because of his race. He became a prominent civil rights leader before he was assassinated outside his Jackson home in 1963, the law school said.
His daughter, Reena Evers-Everette, described the award as meaningful. “It was a dream of our father’s to attend law school, but he was denied that opportunity,” she said. “That rejection fueled his passion to fight for desegregation in the South for the rest of his life. This honor means so much to us as his family members and honors our father’s life and all that he advocated for in a powerful way.”
Medgar Evers led voter registration drives and efforts to end segregation in Mississippi, including campaigns at the University of Mississippi and on public beaches. He also worked to challenge discriminatory laws and barriers that prevented Black residents from voting, the law school noted.
Family members, including Evers-Everette, Wanda Evers, and Carolyn Evers Cockrell, accepted the degree. Chris Daniel, a 2002 graduate of MC Law and a family friend who proposed the initiative, accompanied them. “I felt a connection to Medgar as a fellow war veteran,” Daniel said. “It’s apparent he would have been a great law student and lawyer if given the same opportunity I received.”
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
