Black Caucus chairwoman rips Mississippi governor as 'despicable' over Medgar Evers dispute

WASHINGTON – The head of the Congressional Black Caucus weighed in Friday on a simmering dispute in Mississippi over who deserves credit for the push to designate civil rights icon Medgar Evers' home a national monument.

Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, called Mississippi Republican Gov. Phil Bryant "despicable" and accused him of ignoring the work of Rep. Bennie Thompson, the lone Democrat and African-American in the state's delegation, who has advocated for years for Evers' home to be named a national monument.

"I don’t know much about the governor of Mississippi, but he is clearly despicable," Bass said in a call with reporters Friday. "There is no way in the world that he should not have acknowledged the decades of work that Congressman Bennie Thompson has put in. So for him to specifically ignore him is really just an example of his pettiness."

Last month, Congress passed a massive lands bill that, among other things, added four national monuments, including Evers' home located in Jackson. President Donald Trump signed the legislation into law this month.

Bryant, a Trump ally, thanked the president and the state's Republican senators.

"Thank you to @realDonaldTrump for signing legislation today to designate Medgar and Myrlie Evers home as a National Monument," he tweeted. "@SenatorWicker & @SenHydeSmith have worked very hard on this for some time and are to be commended."

That launched a Twitter war.

After Thompson pointed out the slight on Twitter, Bryant lashed out at the congressman in a statement to WJTV-TV, said the congressman was demonstrating "anger and hatred" of the kind that "separated our people in the civil rights era."

"He has become a tragic figure who has squandered this opportunity to help bring our state together," he told the station.

Over the years, Thompson has testified at hearings, proposed legislation and called for a study of the feasibility of the National Park Service taking over the Evers' home.

Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker and former GOP Sen. Thad Cochran have also championed the designation. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who last fall won Cochran’s seat, recently supported the effort.

Evers, a field secretary for the Mississippi NAACP, was killed in his driveway on June 12, 1963. He had been active in registering blacks to vote and challenging segregation in the state.

Evers' widow, Myrlie Evers-Williams, told SiriusXM radio host Joe Madison on Friday that she was "incensed'' that only a few were credited, noting that Thompson and others worked for 16 years to get the historic designation.

"I have given too much to sit down and be quiet about something that I feel is unjust,'' said Evers-Williams, 87. "How dare that be taken and given credit to one or two people who are new?"

Thompson took to Facebook Thursday to do a video about the importance of designating Evers' home a national monument and why he pushed for it.

“After years of crafting legislation to enact the home of the late Civil Rights icon, Medgar Evers, and his wife Myrlie Evers, as a national monument, I am proud to say it has been signed into law," he tweeted.

Democrats and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus also took to Twitter to praise Thompson for his work on the monument.

“You can take my word the entire Congressional Black Caucus was highly offended that he would be so disrespectful of one our most important members and a member who chairs a full committee – the Homeland Security Committee," Bass said. “For him to disrespect him in the manner that he did, I hope the governor of Mississippi knows that the slight will not go unnoticed."

Mississippi has a long history of racial tension, including efforts to block African-Americans from voting and the lynching of African-Americans. Last year, the U.S. Senate race in Mississippi between Hyde-Smith and her Democratic challenger, Mike Espy, entered the national spotlight over comments from Hyde-Smith that some viewed as racially charged.

Hyde-Smith praised a local cattle rancher and joked that if he invited her to a "public hanging," she would gladly attend. Espy, an African-American former congressman, said her remarks gave the state a "black eye" that it didn't need. She apologized.

Thompson also has feuded with Republicans in Mississippi and Congress over the state flag. He called on Congress to remove all items bearing the Confederate battle flag, including his state flag, which he said is a symbol of racism.

Supporters of the flag argue it is part of the South’s heritage. Bryant proclaimed April as Confederate Heritage Month.

Contributing: Luke Ramseth, Clarion-Ledger

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Black Caucus chairwoman rips Mississippi governor as 'despicable' over Medgar Evers dispute