I grew up in Frayser, Memphis. The Frayser area was built for the industries in that area. Needless to say, neighborhood was full of hard working people. Everyone in my neighborhood got along very well. I also remember Memphis being voted the cleanest city in America. I had a great childhood growing up in Memphis. My mom stayed home with me and my three siblings. My dad worked at the local Kumko plant for 26 years. One major difference today is that people don't keep jobs long term like my dad did. We kids would play in the woods behind our house and rode our bikes around until it got dark. There were no worries of crime, even though it was there. The crime was still present in Memphis, but it wasn't as bad as it is now. Neighbors could discipline other neighbors kids if they were out of line. That kind of thing could get you sued now. It was much simpler then than it is now.
I was 8-years-old when Dr. King was assassinated. I didn't understand what was happening all around me. I remember the garbage was piling up because the garbage men were on strike. They had a peaceful march led by Dr. King for the workers in Memphis. They were fighting for better pay and work conditions. They had to carry a metal tub into the backyard and get the trash, carry it back to the truck, and dump it. My dad always tried to put it where it was easy to get, but most people didn't care. This had the city in an upset already.
I don't remember where I was when Dr. King was shot. I remember when the riots started. Everyone in my neighborhood was scared and stayed inside. My dad kept his shotgun by the front door and was ready to protect us and our home. I felt the fear of my parents, so I was also scared. We only saw the unrest on T.V. because we didn't leave the house.
Dr. King was a respected Baptist preacher who wanted people to be treated fairly. To do so he had to step into a dangerous world of whites over blacks. The white people were in control of everything. If the blacks resisted at all, they were shut down. I hated to see that Dr. King had to die to bring a social injustice to light. It seems that it has and will always be that way. Dr. King and JFK were two examples of people dying to open peoples eyes to change.
People's attitudes change when there hearts change, not when laws change. People resist when they lose power or control. People resist change. This causes tension among people. When people view their fellow citizens as God does, then we love and treat them differently.