The Rev. George W. Lee, one of the first Black people registered to vote in his Mississippi county, is shot and killed for refusing to stop his voter-registration work.
At a Glance
- Date
- 7 May 1955
- Location
- Belzoni, Mississippi
- Key people
- George W. Lee
- Category
- Civil Rights Movement
- Source
- Contemporary press; NAACP records (1955) · NAACP
What It Meant Then
His murder, ruled a 'traffic accident,' exposed the violence facing Black voters.
What It Means Now
Lee is remembered as an early martyr of the voting-rights movement.
Cite this page
- MLA
- “The Rev. George Lee Is Assassinated.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-rev-george-lee-is-assassinated/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). The Rev. George Lee Is Assassinated. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-rev-george-lee-is-assassinated/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “The Rev. George Lee Is Assassinated.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-rev-george-lee-is-assassinated/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.