Medgar Evers and his wife, Myrlie Evers, are known for their heroism in combating racial injustices during the Civil Rights Movement, working alongside other activists to fight against Jim Crow laws and protest school segregation. A WWII veteran and Alcorn State University graduate, Medgar began his young career as a life insurance agent in Mound Bayou, Mississippi. Seeing the mistreatment of his neighbors in their predominately Black town, he was inspired to join and become president of the Regional Council of Negro Leadership (RCNL), where he orchestrated peaceful boycotts of segregated gas stations that drew thousands of supporters between 1952 to 1954.

From there, Medgar became the state's first NAACP field officer and relocated his family to Jackson. His work enabled the organization to expand into new local chapters and led to the desegregation of multiple public schools, parks, and other state areas. His direction of voter registration drives in the early 1960s increased awareness of discrimination and helped usher in the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He also launched a highly public and pivotal investigation into Emmett Till's lynching in the Mississippi Delta, which led to increased threats of attack. Tragically, Medgar was murdered by white supremacists in the driveway of his home on June 12, 1963, hours before President John F. Kennedy's renowned televised speech in support of civil rights.

"My father always said, 'We cannot give up now,'" Reena Evers said. "I want us all to remember that even though it's the 60th anniversary of Freedom Summer, 2023 marked 60 years since my his assassination, and there are so many similar anniversaries pivotal to understanding and addressing the Civil Rights movement."

As executive director of the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute, Reena continues her father's pioneering work and champions modern civil and human rights causes alongside her mother, Myrlie. Now in her nineties, Myrlie still plays an active role in the institute's mission of enriching others—particularly young people—about history, education, and reconciliation.

"The most important piece is everyone working together to achieve everything [our civil rights heroes] fought and died for," Reena said. "That's what's important."

Reena's additional civic achievements include serving as former chairman of the board of directors of the Claremont Chapter of the American Red Cross and the City of Claremont's Committees on Dialogue and Human Relations and being recognized as a W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network fellow.

"It's not just my story. It's your story. It's everybody's story," Reena said during an interview in 2023. "Empowerment is for everyone. We're not just focusing only on Mississippi but on the world. Because this world is small. At the end of the day, it's about helping each other."