Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied

A college graduate from Alcorn State University was gunned down by an assailant on June 12, 1963.

A decorated U.S. Army veteran who served during World War II died at the hand of a gunman on June 12, 1963.

A 37-year-old husband and father was killed as a result of a gunshot as he was walking from his car into his home, where his family was.

On this past Monday, June 12, it marked the 60th anniversary of the day that Medgar Evers was killed at his home in Mississippi. Evers, who had been serving as a field secretary for the NAACP, was instrumental in the Civil Rights movement of the 1950’s and 60’s. His work to overturn segregation and solidifying voting rights for African Americans inspired many others to work toward those ends.

There is a phrase used in law that says that justice delayed is justice denied. This phrase speaks to the necessity for the mechanisms of our judicial system to work efficiently and quickly. When used the right way, this ensures that a person accused will be able to get a quick and speedy conclusion to their case. When this maxim is used in other hands, it becomes a tool to create delay after delay in a case, thereby creating a sense that there is unfairness being played out. Regardless of whether it is the prosecutor or the defense attorney, these delays create unrest and stir a lack of confidence in the judicial system.

The pandemic years have created an even deeper backlog of cases than ever and we find that some of the rules are holding people who should be released and releasing people who should not get out. But I imagine that those delays must pale in comparison to the wait that the Evers family had to endure to get justice for the case of the assassination of Medgar Evers in 1963. In fact, it was not until 1994, 31 years later, that the accused killer was convicted and sentenced for this crime.

We live in a time where people are trying to inflame our emotions with things that should inspire us. We live in a time where people who have the wherewithal, are willing to sacrifice the greater good for their own selfish ambitions. These things can only be overcome if the good people of this generation stand and participate in the processes that bring justice on every level.

An educated man died trying to educate men. A soldier died standing up for the country he believed in. A husband and father died so that his family would not have to live beneath the rights he fought to protect. His widow, Myrlie, took that right and used her life to continue to make ours better. Her words during the 2012 Presidential Inaugural prayer, speaking of those buried in Arlington National Cemetery, including Medgar, speaks of them that “believed, fought and died for this country. May their spirit infuse our being to work together with respect, enabling us to continue to build this nation, and in so doing we send a message to the world that we are strong.”

While we are waiting on justice, let us continue to engage in all the things that promote peace and prosperity for all, not some.

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