There were a number of memorable moments in the nearly weeklong commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the assassination of Medgar Wiley Evers, including the home of Medgar and Myrlie being enshrined as a national monument. During the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute of Courage and Justice Gala from June 7–12 in Jackson, Mississippi, the Rev. Al Sharpton put it all in perspective in his address to the crowded ballroom. “Our struggle is about continuity,” he said. “It’s about celebration, commemoration, and continuity. For every step we take forward, there’s a step back, and that’s why we got to keep moving.”

Moving forward is something that Evers emphasized on each and every occasion during the festivities. At the very beginning of the celebration, she reflected on the past, recalling those harrowing moments after her husband’s assassination. “Standing next to me is one of my strongest supporters: our daughter Reena Evers-Everette,” she said at the podium. “It must have been a day after her father was killed and Reena came in, put her arms around me, and she said ‘Mom don’t cry, I will take care of you.’ I have never forgotten that. Thank you, Reena.”

  Evers asked, “How much time do I have to speak?” to loud laughter from the crowd. “No, I’ll make it brief.” She noted that “this is a very emotional time…because Medgar is still very much a part of me and he’s still here. Emotional because of the personal struggle our family has had over the years.” She went on to recall that she thought her life was over when her husband was shot. “But now, I realize it was just beginning,” she continued. “There were three children looking up to me and others.” 

Toward the close of her speech, she recounted the conversations she had with Medgar about how he could love Mississippi so deeply, and he would explain to her that he was born there just as she was born in Vicksburg. “I stand before you today and I know I am aging, and I don’t know if I’m aging with grace, but I know I am strong.”

On several occasions, she recalled her partnership with Medgar, his love for children, and how devoted he was to their family. She thanked all those who turned out for the event “because Medgar is still very much with us.”

To some extent, Medgar’s presence was felt in the music provided by the band from the New Orleans National Historical Park, particularly when they summoned the Staple Singers with their version of “I’ll Take You There.”

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, among a coterie of dignitaries at the event, said the city is planning to remove the statue of Andrew Jackson. “Condoleezza Rice was right: We can’t change history, but we can change who we choose to honor,” he said to loud applause.  

Diane Regas, president and CEO of the Trust for Public Land, explained her organization’s key role in making the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument possible, and said similar moves are being made in many places across the country. Billy Thornton, vice president of the Mississippi Power Company; Haley Fisackerly, president and CEO of Entergy; Ruth Hernandez Prescott, National Park Foundation chief of staff; and Keena Graham, National Park Service superintendent, were other speakers whose organizations and institutions were vital to the success of the dedication.

Equally festive was a brunch at the Sheraton near Jackson’s Medgar Evers International Airport, where a choir from the Voices of Courage and Justice concert resonated gloriously, especially when their lead singer rocked the place with his rendition of “Stand.” It was a louder version of the “stand” that Myrlie expressed in her presentation. 

Bishop  William Barber, as he has done so eloquently in his Moral Mondays travels, gave the moment a special reverence by placing the Evers family in the powerful matrix of the struggle for human and civil rights.

To capture the full impact of the gala requires a separate article and the lineup alone would exhaust most accounts, most notably Sharpton, the Rev. Mark Thompson, Lumumba, and countless others who appeared in videos, including Smokey Robinson; former U.S Attorney Eric Holder, who said, “We must be warriors for justice like Medgar and Myrlie”; former President Bill Clinton; and Lonnie Bunch, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. It was wonderful to see Rep. Bennie Thompson and James Meredith dressed so splendidly for the occasion. The interludes from Bi Biz Band gave the evening a jazzy bounce as a few attendees eagerly awaited Kenny Lattimore.

A parade and march of silence were other scheduled events to mark what Sharpton cited as several days of celebration, commemoration, and the continuity of struggle. Some of the spirit of the event was captured during a panel at Millsaps College, where yours truly shared the stage with Jerry Mitchell, author Diane McWhorter, and WLBT anchor Howard Ballou on the role of the press in the struggle for freedom and justice. As usual, Myrlie was right down front. As she listened intently to the panelists, there was a quiet strength that also prevailed later at the gala when she recounted her determination to prove to the world that despite the color of her skin, she was going to excel. 

Joining her in the audience were filmmakers Keith Beauchamp and Loki Mulholland, who with civil rights activist Joan Trumpauer Mulholland were ubiquitous, attending nearly every event. Accompanying Beauchamp, who is still on the theater circuit promoting the film “Till,” were Debrorah Watts and her daughter Terri of the Emmett Louis Till Legacy Foundation; and attorney Jaribu Hill. Dr. Brenda Greene, a professor at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, enjoyed the various events, along with Professor Richard Jones, executive director of the College.  

There were numerous honorees in addition to Bunch, Holder, Meredith, and Thompson.  Other distinguished recipients were Gloria Steinem, writer and activist; Mildred Bond Roxborough, a veteran stalwart at the NAACP; LaJune Montgomery-Tabron, president and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation; William Bynum, CEO, Hope Credit Union; Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president emerita, Children’s Defense Fund; Dr. Hazel Dukes, president and CEO, NAACP New York State Conference; Secretary Deb Haaland, U.S. Secretary of the Interior; Ray Mabus, former Secretary of the U.S. Navy; and Andrew Young, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN.  

At 90, Myrlie has lost none of the zeal and commitment, none of that dedication and determination to complete her mission and fulfill her promise to Medgar and her children to ensure the legacy of their name and love for the people.

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The Yankees and Mets met for the first time this season on Tuesday night at Citi Field as both teams staggered into a 2023 Subway Series. The Yankees lost two out of three to the Boston Red Sox in the Bronx this past weekend and were 3-3 in their previous six games before facing the Mets. They were 39-29 after a 7-6 win over the Mets on Tuesday, eight games out of first place in the American League East behind the 48-22 Tampa Bay Rays and 42-24 Baltimore Orioles.

The Mets were in free-fall, having dropped nine of 10 after starter Max Scherzer gave up seven hits and six earned runs in 3.1 innings on Tuesday. They went into last night’s (Wednesday) game 31-36, fourth in the National League East. Both teams came into the two-game set without their most prominent players.

The Yankees are navigating games without 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge, who was put on the injury list June 6 with a contusion and ligament sprain in his right big toe. “The biggest thing now is trying to get the swelling out of there,” said manager Aaron Boone regarding his ailing star outfielder. Judge still led the Yankees in batting average (.291), home runs (18), RBI (40), and on-base percentage (.404).

The Mets’ All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso is also on the injury list after being hit on the wrist by Atlanta Braves starter Charlie Morton on June 7. He could be out until the All-Star Game break, which begins for the Mets on July 10. Alonso’s loss of production in the Mets’ lineup is a huge blow, considering that he led all of MLB with 22 homers and had 49 RBI when last night’s schedule began.

The Mets problems run much deeper than Alonso, though. Their pitching has been the major issue. In being swept three games by the Braves from June 6 through June 8 in Atlanta, followed by a 14-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 11, the Mets gave up a total of 40 runs. The Braves series marked the first time in franchise history that the Mets lost three games in a row when they led by three or more runs.

After dropping two out of three to the Pirates last weekend, the Mets have lost 11 series already this season, contrasted with losing only 11 all of last season. They will host the St. Louis Cardinals in Queens this weekend for three games, then face the Astros in Houston for three games next Monday through Wednesday.

The Yankees will be in Boston for three games tomorrow through Sunday and then travel to Seattle to take on the Mariners next Tuesday through Thursday.

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The Takeover has resumed! 

Brooklyn native Teofimo “The Takeover” Lopez Jr. (19-1, 13 KOs) handed Josh Taylor (19-1, 13 KOs) his first loss as a professional, taking the WBO and Ring magazine junior welterweight championships from the former titleholder with a 115-113, 117-111, 115-113 unanimous win on Saturday evening at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.

The 25-year-old Lopez, whose only blemish as a pro was a loss to George Kambosos in November 27, 2021, also at the Theater, entered the fight as an underdog but took control of the fight in the early rounds and never let Taylor mount a sustained attack. The 32-year-old Taylor, who is from Scotland, hadn’t faced an opponent since defeating Jack Catterall in his homeland 16 months ago before meeting up with Lopez. 

“Josh Taylor is a tough dude,” said Lopez after entertaining the crowd with hard shots to Taylor and fluid movement. “I can see why he beat so many fighters. But you’ve got to counter the counter-puncher. You’ve got to outsmart the man and get in there. And I did that. I think I did enough.This is what it is all about.”

Lopez, of Honduran descent and trained by his father, Teofimo Lopez Sr., said the pre-fight doubts about his chances to beat Taylor by members of the media and boxing fans also had him wondering about the possibility.  

“I questioned myself for a good reason,” he said. “You guys don’t understand. I’ve always been my worst critic, and you guys got a little glimpse of it. But I’ve just got to ask you one thing, and one thing only: Do I still got it?”

He then paid homage to Lopez Sr., who designed a solid game plan he smartly executed versus Taylor. 

“This was about fixing what we needed to,” he said. “That’s why I don’t leave my coach. I trust in him a lot.”

Taylor was complimentary of Lopez after suffering his first loss. “No excuses,” he said. “[This performance] wasn’t my best. The better man won tonight. I’ve got no excuses. I fought to the best of my ability. He was better than me tonight. It is what it is. Congratulations to Teofimo.”

Although there was no rematch clause, Taylor alluded to a potential rematch. “I thought it was a close fight,” he said. Two of the judges’ scorecards reflected his opinion. “I’d love to do it again. I definitely know I’m better than that, and I know I can beat him still. I’d love to do it again. But he’s the champ, so the ball is in his court.”

In other boxing news, last Friday in Miami, former four-division champion Adrien Broner dominated William Hutchinson with a 99-91, 100-90, 99-91 win in his first fight under the promotion of the legendary Don King. Broner is hoping for a chance to claim a title in his next contest.

“I see what’s-his-name—Romello? Rolly?” Broner said of the newly crowned WBA super-lightweight champion Rolando Romero. Broner also had eyes on who would come out of the Lopez-Taylor match victorious. 

“I like the winner of Teofimo and Josh Taylor, and whoever has a belt. I want all the belts,” he said. 

King also hopes for a title shot for Broner in the near future. “We are not fooling around,” he said. “We are going to take care of business. And we got the WBC here [that] is going to get us a title fight. We are going to win that title, then defend that title, then unify the world, because he can do it. He was a four-time world champion before and now the best is yet to come. It’s return to glory.”

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Senbere Teferi, a two-time Olympian from Ethiopia, set a new record of 30:12 at Saturday’s Mastercard New York Mini 10K, held in Central Park by the New York Road Runners (NYRR), by holding off Kenya’s Helen Obiri, this year’s women’s Boston Marathon winner. Teferi had the fastest time since the event’s inception in 1972.

Obiri crossed the finish line in 30:19 in her first Mini 10K. Mexico’s Laura Galvan was third at 31:14. Emily Sisson was fourth at 31:16, the third best time ever in the race by an American.

The Mastercard NY Mini began in 1972 as the first women-only road race in the world. Back then, it was called the Crazylegs Mini Marathon and only 72 women finished the event. This year, 8,369 women completed the arduous trek.

This was the third year that Mastercard served as the title sponsor.

In the wheelchair division, Susannah Scaroni of the United States, the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon champion and two-time Paralympic medalist, led from start to finish and set a new mark of 21:06, breaking the previous record that she also held. Scaroni has owned the race, winning all five since the wheelchair division became part of the event in 2018. Jenna Fesemyer placed second at 25:16 and Michelle Wheeler was third (26:05).

The Mini 10K also featured participants from NYRR Run for the Future, a free seven-week program for high school girls in New York City with little to no running experience. The seven-week program introduced participants to running and wellness through practices and panels focused on mental health, nutrition, and body image.

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When basketball forward Rebecca Osei-Owusu graduated from high school last week, she did so with a sense of pride and positive outlook, knowing that her future includes joining the Division I basketball program at Fairleigh Dickinson University. A member of the Riverside Hawks since seventh grade, Osei-Owusu credits that program not only with building her skills and confidence, but also helping her be well-prepared to be a college student.

Founded in 1961, the Riverside Hawks program is based at Riverside Church and works with about 350 students annually, ages 5 to 18. It provides a mix of athletic instruction, academic support, and opportunity for community service.

“Having trainers to help me every day…brought me to the next level,” said Osei-Owusu. “They would tell me what time to be in the gym to work on my shot or handles or anything else to add to my game. Being there really prepared me. That’s literally my second home.”

Osei-Owusu looks forward to playing for FDU’s new head coach, Stephanie Gaitley. She said the Riverside Hawks didn’t only hone her basketball skills, but helped her embrace teamwork, communication, and a family mindset. “I’d put everything on the floor and my coaches would encourage my dreams and aspirations,” Osei-Owusu said.

“Every year they do what they call an NCAA seminar,” she continued. “They’re talking about NCAA rules and eligibility. Even before coming into high school, I’d learn about eligibility and keeping my grades up.”

Dr. Emily Anderson, a former professor in the CUNY system, is secretary of the board of directors of the Riverside Hawks and chair of the education and scholarship committee. “It’s been interesting how the program has evolved,” said Anderson. “When it started in the ’60s, it was basically a basketball program for kids in Harlem. The people involved wanted them to be elite basketball players.

“As we began to look at the needs of the community over time…we wanted to expand the program, so we’re focusing on academics, basketball, and community,” she added. “Rebecca is a wonderful young woman…She graduated from Monsignor Scanlan High School (in the Bronx). Colleges were able to see what she could do. She attended those workshops about what it takes to get into college.”

An aspiring journalist, Osei-Owusu attended this year’s WNBA Draft. “It was a dream come true. I was looking at everybody and thinking how tall they are, especially Aliyah Boston,” she said.

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