FILE - Medgar Evers, Mississippi field secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People , poses for a photo, Aug. 9, 1955, in Jackson, Miss. On Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023, Mississippi’s congressional delegation sent a letter urging President Joe Biden to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to civil rights leader Evers.
“Mr. Evers dedicated his life to the defense of civil rights in Mississippi and the United States,” the legislators wrote. “His sacrifice inspires Americans to this day, and he furthered the cause of freedom for all humankind.” The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest U.S. civilian honor awarded to individuals who have made “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.” Awardees are selected by the president.