A bipartisan public lands bill signed this week by President Trump has designated the Jackson, Mississippi, home of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers as a national monument.
Evers, a World War II veteran, was at the forefront of the civil rights movement, leading voter registration drives and boycotts in the Deep South. He was also instrumental in the desegregation of the University of Mississippi.
Evers was 37 years old when he was assassinated June 12, 1963. He was buried was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery and received full military honors in front of a crowd of more than 3,000 people.
