The Mississippi enterprise., 1963-06-22
All Negro Businesses Close For FuneroI
Thousands Attend Evers Funeral
March IL Blocks Behind Heorse

to the acknowledged leader
ship of Medgar Evers, the 81
year old NAACP field secre-
tary, who was murdered by a
shot in the back, early We'd
nesday morning, June IL and
the high esteem in which he
was held, were the 1000 or
more who jam packed the
Masonic auditorium, the other
thousands who were unable to
gain admittance; the perfus-
sion of flowers and the pres
ence of dignitaries from
across the nation.
Throughout the city, Negro
owned and operated business
ses and a few white business
ses, closed their doors during
the hour and half funeral SER
vices as a token of mourning.
During the time the body
lay in state at Collins Funeral
Home and the Masonic Tenn
pie, thousands viewed it, all
anxious to pay a last tribute
to the man who had died for
his convictions. Black ribbons
are still being worn by many
as a symbol of mourning for
the man eulogized by NAACP
Executive Secretary Roy Will
kins and others as hero and
martyr of the civil rights
struggle.
Speaking of the great es-
TEEN and affection IN which
Mr.. Evers was held by the
NAACP membership and 9TH
ers, Mr.. Wilkins said that
while 1--WE mourn him, we are
not cast down For him we
shall try all the harder to hold
our nation to the concept of
equality for all men,.
''Medgar Evers" he said,
was the symbol of our vic
tory and of the defeat of the
system which denies equality
to Negroes. Contrary to the
views of some, Medgar was
more than an opponent. In
life, he was a constant threat
to the system, particularly in
his great voter registration
work. In the manner of his
death, he was the victor over
it. The bullet that tore away
his life four days ago, tore
away at the system that help
ed signal it's end"
Also speaking at the service
were, Rev. r. L. T. Smith,
who spoke on behalf of the
Jackson Community and Rev.
G. c. Hunte, pastor of the
New Hope Baptist Church
Mr.. Evers attended. Rev.
Hunte, turned to the bereaved
widow and her children, two
of whom were present, said,
Your father died what you
might live in a better world
than he did,"
Presiding at the services
was the Rev. Charles A.
Jones, Dean of Campbell Col
lege in Jackson. The invoca-
ton was given by Rev. Hunte
and the scripture read by Rev.
S. L. Whitney, pasor of Far
ish St. Baptist and the main
eulogy given by Rev. G. r.
Haughton, p astor of Pearl
Street A. NJ. E. Church.
Early in his career, Mr..
Evers worked as a volunteer
with the Mississippi Council
of Negro Leadership headed
by DR.. T. r. NJ. Howard, then
of Mound Bayou. DR.. Howard
came down from his Chicago
home to eulogize Mr.. Evers.
The best tribute the people of
Mississippi could pay to the
memory of Mr.. Evers, he said
at the services, would be to
enroll $4,000 members in the
National Association for the
Advancement of Colored Peo-
pie within the next 80 days"
The NAACP. he pointed out, is
"the granddaddy of all the
other organizations that have
come along. Without the
groundwork laid by the AS
sociation, they would be un-
able to operate today"
Presiding at the services
was the Reverend Charles A.
Jones, Dean of Campbell Col
lege in Jackson. Invocation
was given by the Reverend
G. r. Haughton and the scrip
ture was ready by the Rever-
end S. L. Whitney.
Mr.. Evers, a native of Mis-
sissippi, served in the United
States Army for two-and-a-
half years. during World War
II, spending two years in the
European theatre of opera
tions. He received a degree
in Business Administration at
Alcorn A & M College at Lor-
man. He joined the staff of the
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