Board Votes Down Proposal to Rename Airport after Medgar Evers
A push to rename Jackson International Airport for slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers has suffered a major setback. The Jackson Planning Board ruled against the recommended name change Wednesday. However, members did vote 8-4 to rename the airport's terminal in honor of Evers. The recommendations will be submitted to the Jackson City Council, which will make the final decision. Local activists and Emmett Burns, a former state NAACP field officer, have been pushing for the airport name change. Burns said it's not enough to have Evers' name on a Jackson street, library and post office. Glenda Glover, chairwoman of the Jackson International Airport Authority Board, told board members, who voted 10-3 against the name change, that the airport could lose money if it's renamed. She said shipping companies probably would ship to other cities rather than figure out where Medgar Evers International Airport was located. [more]