Wicker, Hyde-Smith introduce Medgar Evers bill

Mississippi Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith introduced legislation Monday to designate the Medgar Evers house in Jackson as a national monument within the National Park System.

“I have worked with my colleagues in the Mississippi congressional delegation for many years to bring additional resources and visibility to the Medgar Evers Home. These efforts are important to honor the life and legacy of Medgar Evers,” Wicker said. “Making this site a national monument would further underscore the historic significance of the civil rights movement in Mississippi. It is a powerful point of interest for visitors and residents alike.”

“The designation of the Medgar and Myrlie Evers home as a national monument will help ensure the preservation of an important and tragic civil rights site. I’m pleased this is a bipartisan effort, which also has support within the Trump administration,” Hyde-Smith said.

In December 2017, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke recommended the Medgar Evers Home be designated as a national monument.

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Medgar Evers National Monument Act introduced by Congressman Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss. Senator Doug Jones, D-Ala., is co-sponsoring the Senate bill.