Have No Fear : The Charles Evers Story

by Charles Evers; Andrew Szanton

• ISBN13: 9780471296942
• ISBN10: 0471296945
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-05-01
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

The dramatic memoir of a warrior for civil rights "Charles Evers is a gutsy American patriot and treasure. This book is an important, well-written slice of American history."--Dan Rather The brother of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, Charles Evers fought on the front lines of the greatest struggle for America's heart and soul since the Civil War. Now, in his own distinctive voice, Evers recreates the raw emotions of those times and conveys all of the hatred, humiliation, rage, and hope of a people rising against injustice and demanding equality. Growing up with strong parents in racially charged Mississippi, the young Evers brothers made a pact to erase the color line. If anything happened to one, the other vowed to continue the fight. After Medgar's assassination in 1963, Charles took on his brother's mantle as head of the Mississippi NAACP. A shrewd politician, he led a biracial coalition that unseated an all-white Mississippi delegation at the 1968 Democratic Convention. He courageously ran for governor in Mississippi and became its first black mayor since Reconstruction. For the first time, Have No Fear tells the story of Evers life-long battle for respect_both for himself and for all Americans. Full of vivid, eyewitness stories about pivotal events and personalities, here is a landmark addition to the history of the Civil Rights years and their searing aftermath. Offers candid profiles of Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, George Wallace, and others whom Evers knew well Reveals moving, previously unpublished details surrounding the assassinations of Medgar Evers and Robert Kennedy Chronicles a truly fascinating life_a story of remarkable personal achievement and determination despite the odds CHARLES EVERS (Fayette, Mississippi) served as the mayor of Fayette for 25 years. ANDREW SZANTON (Somerville, Massachusetts) is a former oral historian at the Smithsonian Institution. His first book was Recollections of Eugene P. Wigner.

Author Biography

CHARLES EVERS lives in Fayette, Mississippi, where he served as mayor for twenty-five years. ANDREW SZANTON is a former oral historian at the Smithsonian Institution. His first book was Recollections of Eugene P. Wigner. He lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

My Pact with Medgar.

Mama, Daddy, and Old Mark Thomas.

The Wall of Separation.

Whites Messed with Us, But We Couldn't Mess with Them.

Felicia.

Wheeling and Dealing at Alcorn.

Crossing the Line.

The Pure of Heart: Medgar Joins the NAACP Full-Time.

Terrible Years.

Chicago: The Chances I Took.

I Trusted to God and My .45 Pistol.

Turn Me Loose.

You Won't Die in Vain, Medgar.

Taking Over the Mississippi NAACP.

Two Lost Brothers.

Hate Goes on Trial.

Interrupting the Green.

The Next Step up the Ladder.

Lyndon Johnson Said, ""We Shall Overcome."" Black Power.

Losing Martin, Losing Bobby.

Running for Congress: Evers for Everybody.

Call Me ""The Mayor."" Fayette Was Our Israel.

A Black-Skinned Man Running for Governor.

Scolding Richard Nixon about Watergate.

Why I Became a Republican.

The Bridge That Carried Us Across.

Have No Fear.

Selected Bibliography.

Index.