This is a picture of my mother, Beth Dillingham and my father, Harry Dillingham, with their friend, civil rights activist Medgar Evers. The photo was taken in 1955. Evers was assassinated 8 years later.

Mr. Evers is the second from the right, sitting next to my Dad who sits next to my beautiful Mom.

My parents lived in Jackson, Mississippi for 3 years. During that time, they joined the NAACP. Jackson was as bad as it got regarding racism at that time. Dad was scared, as he should have been, and received threats. When he went to NAACP meetings, he carried a revolver under his coat.

Mr. Evers would not visit my parents at their house during the day as he did not want my parents’ neighbors to know; he was looking out for Mom and Dad. My brother Clay was born during this time. My Mom taught at Tougaloo College, a black school dedicated to educational advancement and the improvement of race relations in Mississippi.
I miss my parents every day. They were incredible. ~shared by @spilliana