Medgar Evers was a vital figure in the American civil rights movement, serving as the Mississippi field secretary for the NAACP. Throughout his activism, he worked tirelessly to promote racial equality, organize voter registration drives, and combat segregation in Mississippi, which was notorious for its harsh racial discrimination. On June 12, Evers returned home after a meeting, only to be ambushed by Byron De La Beckwith, a member of the Ku Klux Klan, who shot him twice from a distance using a rifle. Evers was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries shortly afterward.

This shocking act of violence against a prominent civil rights leader exposed the blatant racism and violence faced by those fighting for equality in the South. The incident garnered national attention and spurred many civil rights activists to take action. Memorial services for Evers drew thousands of mourners, and his death became a rallying call for those advocating for civil rights, amplifying the urgency of the cause.

In the aftermath, the NAACP and other civil rights organizations mobilized protests and demonstrations, demanding justice and accountability for Evers's murder. The case against Beckwith would be mired in controversy and ultimately go through multiple trials before he was finally convicted in 1994, more than 30 years after the assassination, illustrating the deep-seated issues of race and justice in America.