Fayette in Jefferson County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
Charles Evers
Mississippi Freedom Trail
Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, December 28, 2025
1. Charles Evers Marker
Inscription.
Charles Evers. Mississippi Freedom Trail.
Side 1. Following the 1963 assassination of his brother, Medgar Evers, the state's first NAACP field secretary, James Charles Evers returned to Mississippi and took over as field secretary. In 1969, he received the organization's "Man of the Year" award for his civil rights advocacy and political leadership, including his historic election in Fayette as the first Black mayor of a multiracial town since Reconstruction. Despite his later unsuccessful bids for governor and U.S. senator, Evers remained politically active, supporting candidates across party lines.,
Side 2. Charles Evers Alongside his younger brother, Medgar Evers, civil rights activist, politician, and entrepreneur James Charles Evers championed equality and civil rights in Mississippi. As world war two veterans, the Evers brothers focused on the freedom struggle in their home state. They organized with the Regional Council of Negro Leadership and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), with the organization electing Charles Evers as the state's voter registration chairman in 1954. Faced with threats and harassment, Evers and his family fled the state to Chicago., After the assassination of Medgar Evers in 1963, Charles Evers returned to Mississippi, assuming his brother's role as NAACP state field secretary. In this position, he led fundraising rallies nationwide to support voter registration drives. Evers also organized economic boycotts and protests, advocating for equal hiring practices, school desegregation, and voting rights. He appealed to state officials for his willingness to negotiate and significant influence among local Black communities in cities like Natchez and Fayette., In the same year that saw the historic passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, James Charles Evers moved to Fayette, the state's fourth poorest county. Three years later, Evers embarked on his first political campaign, running for U.S. Representative, ultimately winning the primary but losing in the general election. However, Evers made history the following year in 1969, elected as Fayette's mayor, the first Black politician since Reconstruction to serve as mayor for a biracial Mississippi town. His remarkable achievement earned him the distinction of being named NAACP's "Man of the Year.", Despite facing numerous challenges as mayor, including threats against his life, Evers addressed unemployment, poverty, and crime by attracting industries and job opportunities to the city. He governed firmly, like implementing curfews at local bars, yet he created over 600 jobs in his first six years and received millions in federal grants and loans. His leadership garnered national recognition and support, with Evers hosting the inaugural Southern Black Mayors Conference in 1973, which brought together twenty Black mayors and civic officials to Fayette. He served as mayor of Fayette from 1969 to 1981, with an additional term from 1985 to 1989. Evers unsuccess- fully ran for state governor in 1971 and 1983 and for U.S. Senate in 1978 as an independent candidate. He eventually joined the Republican Party due to his growing disappointment with Democrats.
Side 1
Following the 1963 assassination of his brother,
Medgar Evers, the state's first NAACP field
secretary, James Charles Evers returned to
Mississippi and took over as field secretary.
In 1969, he received the organization's "Man
of the Year" award for his civil rights
advocacy and political leadership, including
his historic election in Fayette as the first
Black mayor of a multiracial town since
Reconstruction. Despite his later unsuccessful
bids for governor and U.S. senator, Evers
remained politically active, supporting
candidates across party lines.
Side 2
Charles Evers Alongside his younger brother, Medgar Evers, civil rights activist,
politician, and entrepreneur James Charles Evers championed equality and civil rights in
Mississippi. As WWII veterans, the Evers brothers focused on the freedom struggle in their
home state. They organized with the Regional Council of Negro Leadership and the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), with the organization electing
Charles Evers as the state's voter registration chairman in 1954. Faced with threats and harassment,
Evers and his family fled the state to Chicago.
After the assassination of Medgar Evers in 1963, Charles Evers returned to Mississippi, assuming
his brother's
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role as NAACP state field secretary. In this position, he led fundraising rallies
nationwide to support voter registration drives. Evers also organized economic boycotts and
protests, advocating for equal hiring practices, school desegregation, and voting rights. He
appealed to state officials for his willingness to negotiate and significant influence among local
Black communities in cities like Natchez and Fayette.
In the same year that saw the historic passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, James Charles
Evers moved to Fayette, the state's fourth poorest county. Three years later, Evers embarked on
his first political campaign, running for U.S. Representative, ultimately winning the primary but
losing in the general election. However, Evers made history the following year in 1969, elected as
Fayette's mayor, the first Black politician since Reconstruction to serve as mayor for a biracial
Mississippi town. His remarkable achievement earned him the distinction of being named
NAACP's "Man of the Year."
Despite facing numerous challenges as mayor, including threats against his life, Evers addressed
unemployment, poverty, and crime by attracting industries and job opportunities to the city. He
governed firmly, like implementing curfews at local bars, yet he created over 600 jobs in his first
six years and received millions in federal grants and loans.
Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, December 28, 2025
2. Charles Evers Marker
His leadership garnered national
recognition and support, with Evers hosting the inaugural Southern Black Mayors Conference
in 1973, which brought together twenty Black mayors and civic officials to Fayette. He served as
mayor of Fayette from 1969 to 1981, with an additional term from 1985 to 1989. Evers unsuccess-
fully ran for state governor in 1971 and 1983 and for U.S. Senate in 1978 as an independent
candidate. He eventually joined the Republican Party due to his growing disappointment with
Democrats.
Erected 2025 by Visit Mississippi, Mississippi Humanities. (Marker Number 51.)
Location. 31° 42.696′ N, 91° 3.687′ W. Marker is in Fayette, Mississippi, in Jefferson County. It is on Main Street near Medgar Evers Blvd., on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 309 Main Street, Fayette MS 39069, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southwest Mississippi and in Natchez Trace Corridor. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Adam Rum (here, next to this marker); Charles Evers & The Blues (within shouting distance of this marker); Thomas Hinds
Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, December 28, 2025
Another marker is no longer nearby. Confederate Soldiers Monument (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing).
Credits. This page was last revised on December 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 31, 2025, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 58 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on December 31, 2025, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana.
