The Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute and Mississippi Votes Action Fund today released the full confirmed schedule for the Democracy in Action Convening, a multiday tribute marking the 100th birthday of Medgar Wiley Evers.

The event runs from Thursday through Sunday at the Jackson Convention Complex. Organizers described the event as a “once-in-a-generation celebration [that] will feature national civil rights leaders, cultural icons, veteran journalists, artists, and organizers — all honoring Evers’s legacy and building power for the next century.”

Featured participants include: Stacey Abrams, Joy Reid, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Eddie Glaude Jr., Anna Wolfe, Howard Ballou, Jerry Mitchell, Reena Evers-Everette and descendants of civil rights icons, including Kerry Kennedy, Attallah Shabazz, and Bettie Dahmer.

“My father believed in the power of everyday people to change the world — and he knew that truth, action, and training were essential to that work,” said Reena Evers-Everette, executive director of the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute. “This convening will carry forward my father’s conviction that equality and democracy begin with preparation — with giving people the tools to lead, to speak with courage, and to act with purpose.”

“This convening isn’t just about remembering the past — it’s about shaping what comes next,” said Arekia Bennett Scott, executive director of Mississippi Votes Action Fund. “We are equipping the next generation with the tools to lead, organize, and continue the fight for justice in Mississippi and beyond.”

The convening includes a Saturday evening fundraiser concert, “A Night of Legacy and Liberation,” featuring Rita Brent, Tisha Campbell, Leela James, and Q Parker & Friends.

Full Schedule

THURSDAY

• 6 p.m. – VIP Reception: Daddys’ Daughters
  Featuring Attallah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X; Evers-Everette; Kerry Kennedy, daughter of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy; and Bettie Dahmer, daughter of Vernon Dahmer

FRIDAY

• 9 a.m. – Breakfast + Registration
• 10 a.m. – Welcome to the 2025 DIA Convening
• 10:30 a.m. – Keynote: “The Enduring Legacy of Medgar Evers” with author Michael Vinson Williams, professor of history and director of the African American Studies Program at the University of Texas.
• 11:30 a.m. – Meet & Greet
• 12:15 p.m. – Mississippi Public Broadcasting Documentary Trailer Debut
• 12:30 p.m. – Plenary: “The Power of the Word” with Joy Reid,, who wrote a bestseller on Medgar and Myrlie Evers; Eddie Glaude Jr., author of the bestselling book, “Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own”; and Ralph Eubanks, an award-winning writer and professor of Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi
• 1:30 p.m. – Q&A
• 2 p.m. – Book Signing
• 3 p.m. – Plenary: “Journalism, Truth, and Civil Rights” with Nikole Hannah-Jones, Howard University’s Knight Chair in Race and Journalism who won the Pulitzer Prize for “The 1619 Project,” Mississippi Today’s Anna Wolfe and Jerry Mitchell, and WLBT news anchor Howard Ballou
• 4 p.m. – Criminal Justice Reform – attorney Courtney Cockrell
  • Policy & Advocacy – MS Votes Action Fund
  • Philanthropy – “Seeds of Freedom”
  • Visual Storytelling – Red Squared LLC
  • The Power of Song – Dr. Flonzie Brown Wright & Cynthia Goodloe Palmer
• 5:15 p.m. – Closing + Call to Action

SATURDAY

9 AM – Breakfast + Registration

• 9 a.m. – Opening Reflections
• 10 a.m. – Family Reflections with Evers-Everette and attorneys Corrie Cockrell Carter and Courtney Cockrell, great-nieces of Medgar Evers
• 11:30 a.m. – Meet & Greet
• 12:15 p.m. – MADDRAMA Performance
• 12:30 p.m. – Plenary: “Working with Medgar” with veteran civil rights leaders
• 1:30 p.m. – Q&A
• 2 p.m. – Break
• 2:30 p.m. – Keynote: “Leadership & the Fight for Justice” with voting rights activist Stacey Abrams and Arekia Bennett-Scott
• 3:30 p.m. – Concurrent Workshops:
  • Community Organizing in the 21st Century – MS Votes Action Fund
  • The Power of AI & Technology – Nikolis Smith, founder of StratAlliance Global and former White House cyber official, and Henry Goss communications director for MS Votes 
• 4:30 p.m. – Plenary: “The Next 100: Inheriting a Legacy, Igniting a Future”
• 5:45 p.m. – Closing + Call to Action

🎤 SATURDAY NIGHT – FUNDRAISER CONCERT

A Night of Legacy and Liberation

Jackson Convention Complex | Doors Open: 6:30 p.m. | Concert: 7:30 p.m.

Tickets on sale.

• Rita Brent – Mississippi-born comedian and truth-teller
• Tisha Campbell – Actress, singer, and advocate for empowerment
• Leela James – Soulful R&B powerhouse
• Q Parker & Friends – Grammy-winning artist and philanthropist

“This evening is about honoring my father’s legacy with soul, celebration, and a shared commitment to carry his work forward,” said Evers-Everette. “Through music and unity, we are creating space for remembrance, resilience, and the rising voices of a new generation.”

Concert proceeds will support the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute’s youth leadership and civic engagement programs.

SUNDAY

• 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
  Medgar Evers Sunday – Interfaith Worship Service

  Featuring Pastor C.J. Rhodes, the Rev. Mark Thompson, and the Jackson Revival Center Choir
  Concludes with a community meal

View the full schedule here. For registration information, visit this link.