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<br />R-13-25 <br /> <br />A RESOLUTION OBSERVING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF <br />MEDGAR WILEY EVERS WHO WAS SLAIN IN THE PURSUIT OF EQUAL <br />RIGHTS FOR ALL AMERICANS. <br /> <br />WHEREAS, Medgar Wiley Evers was born on July 2, 1925 in Decatur, <br />Mississippi; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, as a member of the United States Army during World War II, <br />Medgar Evers fought in France and Germany from 1943 to 1945, returning after the war <br />to attend Alcorn College (now Alcorn University); and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, upon returning to Mississippi from fighting for his country, he <br />fought against inequality, segregation, and the treatment of African-Americans as second <br />class citizens; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, Medgar Evers was an intrepid and outspoken proponent of civil <br />rights and, while working as an insurance sales agent, was recruited to become the first <br />Field Secretary in Mississippi for the National Association for the Advancement of <br />Colored People ("NAACP") in 1954; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, he established the Mississippi state NAACP office in Jackson; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, as Mississippi NAACP Field Secretary, he traveled across the state <br />soliciting NAACP memberships and challenging this country to live up to its creed that <br />"all men are created equal"; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, Medgar Evers' basic quest for civic freedom garnered hatred from <br />staunch racists and segregationists such as the Ku Klux Klan, the White Citizens Council, <br />and the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission, while prompting praise, admiration, <br />and respect from others around the nation; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, on June 12, 1963, Medgar Evers was shot to his death in the <br />driveway of his home by an avowed racist, sparking national outrage and prompting <br />increased support for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the hallmark legislation of <br />the civil rights movement. <br /> <br />NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of <br />Portsmouth, Virginia, that, on this 50th anniversary of the murder of Medgar Wiley Evers, <br />it salutes the life and ultimate sacrifice paid by Medgar Evers in the pursuit of equal <br />rights for all Americans, regardless of color. <br /> <br />BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council affirms its commitment to <br />the elimination of race-based discrimination and to political, educational, social, and <br />economic equality for all persons. <br />