My name is Mr. Kirksey and today I will be sharing my perspective of the events that happened the day MLK was killed. It was April 4 1968. I was 28 at the time. It was an exciting day, because MLK was coming to town. It was also a bit scary, because people were worried about riots starting and other bad things happening. I woke up and got ready for work. I took my regular 5 minute walk to the chemistry building at the University of Memphis. Now, Memphis was different during the nineteen sixties. In Memphis and all of America, blacks were forced to use different bathrooms, go to different schools, and sit at the back of the bus. In modern day Memphis you don't see that at all. I taught my regular classes and then went home. When I got home my son Howard asked me to play basketball. We had been playing for about thirty minutes when my wife came out and said MLK had been shot. I quickly went inside and watched the news. My opinion on MLK had always been that he was fighting for a good cause without being violent, so when I heard he was dead this made me very distraught. Throughout the night, my eyes stated glued to the tv. In response to MLK being assassinated, the city of Memphis took several measures to keep everyone safe and to catch the assassin. The University of Memphis set blockades and shut down the school. The commissioner put the city on grid lock and set a curfue. That night, there were no cars on the street. Through all this I was hoping no riots would start, that the assassin would be caught, and that the city of Memphis would come through. My opinion of MLK was the same before and after his death, I believed that he was working for a good cause in a non- violent way. A lot of blacks fighting for freedom would start riots and fights, but not MLK. MLK worked with courts to get what he wanted to achieve. After the death of MLK life changed in both big and small ways. The University of Memphis was closed for a couple of days. There were also a few people who had a change of heart after this. Even though civil rights had been passed in 1964, it took this to change a lot of people's hearts. Also, because of MLK's assassination and the civil rights act the next generation was less segregated. Unlike their parents, they would grow up with blacks going to the same school, using the same bathroom, and sitting freely on the bus just like them. I think MLK's assassination is important, because it was a turning point in the country. That's the end of my story, it's a story that I feel is very important. Even though a lot of people have a story about the day MLK died, I believe mine stands out from the rest.