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Remembering Charles Evers: Public memorial program for civil rights icon Saturday in Jackson

Jimmie E. Gates
Mississippi Clarion Ledger

A public memorial is scheduled for Saturday at Thalia Mara Hall for civil rights icon Charles Evers, the brother of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers.

Charles Evers died July 22  at the age of 97. He became the first black mayor of a multiracial Mississippi town or city since Reconstruction when he was elected mayor of Fayette in 1969.

Charles Evers

The public memorial is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Thalia Mara, 255 E. Pascagoula St. in downtown Jackson. The first 500 people will be allowed inside the 2,500-seat Thalia Mara Hall and masks are required, according to Evers' daughter, Carolyn Evers Cockrell.

Cockrell said Friday there will be a live stream of the memorial, but details were still being finalized.

In addition to masks, all CDC guidelines will be followed with the coronavirus pandemic including temperature checks and social distancing, Cockrell said.

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WLBT-TV Anchor Maggie Wade Dixon will be the mistress of ceremony for Evers' memorial. The program will include a representative from the Gov. Tate Reeves' office, Sen. Roger Wicker's office, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, former Gov. Haley Barbour and others.

Cockrell said a statement will be read from President Donald Trump.

Also, a presentation will be made by those who were part of the civil rights movement and there will be a military component, Cockrell said.

"The outpouring has been amazing," Cockrell said.

Charles Evers came back to Mississippi from Chicago after his brother was assassinated in 1963 and assumed the role of state NAACP field secretary, the position his late brother held. Charles Evers led marches, boycotts and other civil rights activities.

 After losing the U.S. Senate race in 1978, Evers switched to the Republican Party two years later and made news that year when he endorsed Republican Ronald Reagan for president.

Although Evers switched to the Republican Party, he supported Barack Obama who became the first African American elected president in 2008.

Evers, one of the most colorful characters in the state's history, had worked over several decades to keep his brother's memory alive. He was the owner of WMPR radio station in Jackson.

Evers is survived by 10 children. Collins Funeral Home in Jackson is handling the memorial service. Evers was cremated and his ashes will be taken after the memorial service to his birthplace in Decatur and will be scattered over the gravesite of his parents, James and Jessie Evers, Cockrell said.

Contact Jimmie E. Gates at 601-961-7212 or jgates@gannett.com. Follow @jgatesnews on Twitter.