Everlasting: A Conversation with Reena Evers-Everette & Taiwo Gaynor
What does it mean to carry a father’s legacy — and finally see it told on film? Head to The MAX for a screening of the new MPB documentary Everlasting: The Life and Legacy of Medgar Evers, followed by a conversation with the film’s director, Taiwo Gaynor, and Reena Evers-Everette, daughter of civil rights icon Medgar Evers.
Moderated by Michael Morris of the Two Mississippi Museums, the discussion will explore the making of the film, the personal stories behind it, and why Medgar Evers’ life and work are as urgent as ever.
Presented by the Mississippi Humanities Council, Mississippi Public Broadcasting, and the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute.
Speakers:
Taiwo Gaynor is Chief Content Officer at Mississippi Public Broadcasting, where he has worked since 2008. A Brooklyn native who found his calling in Mississippi, Gaynor has produced and directed award-winning documentaries for MPB, including Fannie Lou Hamer: Stand Up and 1964: The Fight for a Right, earning multiple Emmy, Edward R. Murrow, and Telly Awards along the way.
Reena Evers-Everette is the daughter of civil rights icon Medgar Evers and legendary activist Myrlie Evers-Williams. Born in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, she witnessed her father’s assassination at their Jackson home in 1963 when she was eight years old. She has devoted her life to honoring his legacy and today serves as executive director of the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute in Jackson.
Michael Morris is director of the Two Mississippi Museums — the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum — in Jackson. A Jackson native and Jackson State University graduate, Morris earned his degrees in history and political science at JSU, where he developed his scholarly foundation at the Margaret Walker Center and the Fannie Lou Hamer Institute on Citizenship and Democracy. He has written markers for the Mississippi Freedom Trail, served as Mississippi archivist for Duke University’s civil rights history project Our Story, Our Terms, and is a familiar and trusted voice in public history conversations across the state.
