The person I interviewed for my project was my grandfather, Jim A. In 1968 he was 44 years old. In this time he lived in Memphis, Tennessee. He said that what stood out about living in Memphis around this period in history was the segregation between white people and black people. Everything restaurants, to busses, to even neighborhoods were segregated. In 1968, Jim had four kids, so a typical day was getting the kids ready for school then going to work then getting the kids from school later that day. His life revolved around being the best dad he could be. He said that life was much slower and simpler than it is now, there were no cell phones, therefore people just enjoyed being with each other more.
The day that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, Jim was just having a normal day. He heard of the assassination of Martin Luther King in the car on the radio on the way to the grocery store. He said that the police made everyone go home and stay inside for obvious safety reasons. Jim felt mainly sad for what had happened, he also felt a new since of sympathy for the black people. It was like a wake up call to the issue of segregation. The night after King was shot, everything at the Adkins household went back to normal almost, everyone got up and continued on with their lives.
The only word he could think of to describe Memphis after the assassination is sad. Before Kings death, Jim didn't know much about him except that he had been doing marches and wanted to end segregation, he had a since of respect for King because of his want for peace throughout his mission. After Kings death, Jim knew more about Kings mission for black people in America for the future. After the death of King, not much changed for Jim, his life of caring for kids and working continued as normal. People around Memphis became more familiar with the real issue that segregation was becoming, and didn't want it to become a violent issue. White people in Memphis began to feel more sympathetic towards the black people in Memphis. Now, in Memphis segregation is hardly an issue, Martin Luther King would be proud.