From Bus Boycotts to Black Power: 31 Critical Events That Shaped the Civil Rights Movement 

Medgar Evers’ Assassination

NAACP Mississippi field secretary Medgar Evers was murdered in his driveway on June 12, 1963. A World War II veteran, Evers investigated lynchings and organized boycotts despite constant death threats. His killer, white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith, wasn’t convicted until 1994. Evers’ death shocked the nation just hours after President Kennedy’s civil rights speech. His funeral at Arlington National Cemetery highlighted his patriotic service in contrast to his treatment at home.