Ghosts of Mississippi - Film Screening

In 1963 civil rights leader Medgar Evers was murdered in his own driveway. For 30 years his assassin remained free. Is it ever too late to do the right thing?

This was the tagline for the Oscar-nominated 1996 film called Ghosts of Mississippi which tells the true story of the final trial of Byron De La Beckwith, the assassin of Medgar Evers. It begins with the murder and the events surrounding the two initial trials which both ended in hung juries. The movie then covers District Attorney, Bobby De Laughter's transformation and alliance with Myrlie Evers, the widow of Medgar Evers, as he becomes more involved with bringing Beckwith to trial for the third time 30 years later. The film stars Alec Baldwin, James Woods and Whoopi Goldberg.

This film screening leads up to our Black Heritage Month keynote speaker Jerry Mitchell, the real-life Mississippi-based investigative reporter who tracked down De La Beckwith and helped bring this case to trial. Mr. Mitchell will speak at Lafayette on Monday, February 2 at 7pm in the Kirby Hall of Civil Rights 104. He will share information about the Evers case and others from the Civil Rights era and also address contemporary issues related to violent deaths of Black Americans.

This is a Black Heritage Month event. Visit the campus calendar for full descriptions of all BHM programs.