1920-
Convicted Killer

A Shot in the Night.

On 12 June 1963 President John F. Kennedy gave a major speech on the subject of civil rights. His administration had been criticized for not involving itself more seriously in the movement. In response Kennedy signaled a change in the direction of increased support. That evening Medgar Evers, the Mississippi field secretary for the NAACP, watched the speech on television at the organization's headquarters in Jackson, Mississippi, while his wife and three young children viewed it at home. Mrs. Evers had agreed to let the two oldest children stay up late to discuss the president's address with their father when he returned. A little after midnight Evers's family heard his car pull up in the driveway. Evers got out carrying a stack of sweatshirts from the NAACP printed with the slogan "Jim Crow Must Go." He slammed the...