(HAMPTON, VA) – In the spirit of her civil rights family and renowned cousin, Medgar Evers, Sandra Evers-Manly on April 24, wowed Hampton University students with an inspired speech promoting the benefits of hard work, self-worth, and other successful living tips. She then topped it off by pledging a $100,000 donation to the HU Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.
“We were so honored to have Ms. Evers-Manly visit our campus as a guest of my JAC 454 Civil Rights Era and the media class,” said SHSJC Dean Julia Wilson. “Not only is she a highly successful Black woman who climbed the challenging corporate ladder of a major U.S. aeronautics defense contractor, she is a remarkable motivational speaker with a caring and generous spirit. Her intelligence and commitment to education, self-empowerment, and social justice truly honors the powerful legacy of her famous cousin, the late Medgar Evers, one of America’s great civil rights pioneers.”
“Ms. Evers-Manly’s speech and life-story anecdotes moved our school to cheers, applause and joyful tears,” Wilson continued.
Following her speech, Evers-Manly fielded journalism students’ questions about her career and life’s journey. She also advised her young audience to: “Always give back; what you put in, is what you get out. Giving is how you can change the world and continue your legacy.”
“And then, true to her words, she really floored us,” Wilson said. “She handed me a check for $10,000, as a down payment on her $100,000 pledge. We deeply appreciate her generous gift and will put it to excellent use in our school to benefit our students.”
After the event, Evers-Manly and Dean Wilson visited HU President Darrell K. Williams and Board of Trustee Member E.D. “Buddy” David, who thanked Evers-Manly for her surprise contribution to the SHSJC school.
Evers-Manly’s famous ancestor and cousin Medgar Evers, was a major force in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. A close friend and colleague of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Evers emerged as the NAACP’s first field secretary. Unlike Dr. King who pushed for racial equality and opportunity across the U.S., Evers focused on his civil rights work in his home state of Mississippi. He led boycotts of white-owned businesses there, that refused to serve Black customers. He also fought tirelessly to end segregation and led voter registration drives of Mississippi’s Black population. Tragically, shortly after midnight on June12, 1963, Evers, only 37 years of age, was fatally wounded in the driveway of his home by an assassin, identified many years later as a member of an all-white racist group.
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About Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications
The Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications is committed to preparing its students with a high-quality and well-rounded education for global careers in journalism and strategic communications. SHSJC emphasizes accuracy, balance, fairness, integrity and high ethical standards of excellence through journalism and strategic communications. The Scripps Howard brand is internationally renowned as an educational foundation that promotes, support, and enables aspiring journalists. (Website: https://home.hamptonu.edu/shsjc/)
Media Contact:
Devika Koppikar devika.koppikar@hamptonu.edu
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