What were Medgar Evers' accomplishments?

Medgar Evers was a prominent civil rights activist who advanced the rights of African Americans in the mid-1900s. He served as a sergeant in the Normandy Invasion of World War II. He also successfully found witnesses to testify in the 1955 murder of Emmett Till.

Medgar Evers holds the distinction of being the first Southern-based field secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, where he doubled membership in just a few years. He helped integrate the segregated University of Mississippi, where in 1962, along with United States marshals, he accompanied student James Meredith to ensure his safety. Edgars was shot and killed by white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith in 1963.