Carrie H. was 25 years old in 1968 during King's assasination. Carrie lived in Memphis,TN at the time and was married she says this because few African Americans were married at the time. Carrie was teaching at Manassas Highschool where many of the students' fathers worked for the sanatation department. Memphis was highly segregated. Carrie graduated from Memphis State University which is now University Of Memphis which had integrated in 1959. Jobs were limited for African Americans with or without a college degree. Middle schools and Highschools were still segregated.
Carrie remembers her typical day as always having colored days; like going to the zoo only on Thursday for African Americans. The Midsouth Fair was for whites only for a week and the TriState Fair was 3 days for African Americans. The cottoncarnival was segregated as well. All black children still went to school. Few blacks were employed at the Board Of Education; superintendent secretaries and other professionals, Carrie worked at an all black highschool where many were very poor. Textbooks were handed down to African American schools and they were out dated and raggedy. Funding for supplies was limited. Today schools are integrated, textbooks are new, and the funding is for programs and supplies.
Carrie says today we are almost equal but schools where many whites attend tend to have better facilities and supplies. For years, we did not had a African American superintendent or mayor. The day King was assassinated Carrie was teaching at Manassas Highschool in North Memphis and it was packed with grades 712 with over 1400 students in the building. She had classes with 40 students in her 78 grade History & Geography classes. On that
day, all teachers were in a required after school inservice. The inservice day was suppose to last until 6:00, but the principal was still talking when he got a phone call telling him Dr. King had been killed. Carrie said she and her husband and I had attended Dr. King's speech the night before at Mason Temple. Dr. King died April 4, 1968 on a Thursday. Dr. King spoke on behalf of the sanitation workers need for higher pay, insurance and better working conditions. We prayed and went home and people were crying and were saddened. As we drove home, you could here the news on the radio, and later on TV. Young people began looting and breaking out windows and a city wide curfew was put on.
I had a real personal closeness to his death. Carrie felt like it was a plan assassination in Memphis,TN. Carrie quotes, "I thought they just wanted to get rid of him!" Some black ministers and white ministers did not even like him. Carrie said she was scared; some young people did not follow the curfew and were arrested. The (Radical Black Panthers) and (The Invaders) began rallying up people to take action after King's death.
Carrie thought Martin Luther King was brave. She thought his message of peace was powerful. Carrie had watched and read about him going to jail in the newspapers and on tv. She highly respected him and felt sorry for his family. Carrie says, "When his life had been taken. I misstrusted the local police in that a person like James Earl Ray could kill and get out of the city." Carrie thought it was a plot within the Memphis Police Department and with FBI involved. Most white some black people were glad King died and said so. Most blacks were saddened, angry, and very distrusting of the FBI and local police. A group of white ministers met with a group of black ministers to talk to the workers about
making changes for the sanatation workers and had a march to show support. Some African Americans took advantages and started rioting; but for the most part the two races began to take place in the city after the assassination. Carrie remembers after one of the Marches in April, there was 20 inches of snow which was highly unusual. Carrie says it's very important for young people to understand how life was in most of the south during this time. We must understand our history for blacks and whites in order to be sensitives to the pain and bitterness because people who are now in their 60's through 100's have different memories. Young people should visit the Civil Rights Muesuem in Birmingham and Atlanta so you can understand the entire story.