(The Root) — On June 12, 1963, Byron De La Beckwith, a member of the White Citizens' Council, shot 37-year-old NAACP Field Secretary Medgar Evers in the back outside his Jackson, Miss., home, killing him — and making a legend out of a man who was already a courageous soldier in the fight for civil rights.
In life he was a hero, bravely investigating cases of violence against blacks in his home state, but in the years after his death, he has become a cultural icon. In celebration of Evers, here are 10 facts about his life and legacy.