Memphis, Tennessee in 1968 Mrs. Elizabeth, 23, says Memphis was less complex than it is today. Although, there were a lot of people it was less congested than it is. She says that there was a lot to do. She had been married for about four years and her husband was a dental student. They had a child together so Elizabeth was a stay at home mom and in 1968. Her husband joined the navy and went to Vietnam. His being in the war resulted in the family moving around.
On the day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated Elizabeth was at an event at the Peabody hotel by the Lorraine hotel where King was. She says the night King was shot it was frightful. Elizabeth's child was at her mothers house. She was alone at her apartment. She lived in a predominantly white apartment complex next to a predominantly black neighborhood. She was very frightened. A friend called and offered Elizabeth to stay at her house. Gunshots were heard. Since they did not have the technology that we have today there was not much readily available news.
Elizabeth was to caught up in her own life and did not pay much attention to Martin Luther King Jr. Although, she was saddened that a man took it upon himself to kill a man who trying to bring peace among everyone. After he was shot, attitudes were very slow to change, there was no immediate change. She says that even today all people are not being seen as equal. She was out of Memphis a few months after Kings death. She was sheltered from changes because of her family's involvement in the military.
Elizabeth says that Kings death made a lot of people aware of racial difference.