It was a very quiet time in Memphis as a city. We didn't have as many things going on to disrupt the city on as we do now. I lived about 6 blocks from Elvis Presley and he was very popular at that time. He went to school where I graduated from.
The day of Dr. Martin Luther king's death I was at a store called Monteise's grocery and I was just getting back in my car after shopping for my groceries and all of a sudden everybody was running around the parking lot saying Martin Luther king has just been assassinated at the Lorraine Motel. We were told to go home, be careful, and keep our doors locked. The police were patrolling the city all through the night. They invoked a curfew where you couldn't be out after a certain time. There were some protests here in Memphis but they were all peaceful. I'd say that the assassination disrupted life in Memphis. Life here hasn't been the same and because of the assassination Memphis was notarized as a violent city.
We really didn't know too much about King. We had herd that he was in Memphis from Atlanta when the garbage strike was on for better wages and better working conditions. It wasn't a violent protest. The protestors marched down Main Street. He was speaking to them. I was thinking that he was a man trying to help African American people. I think that was really his purpose in the civil rights movement. He always preached peaceful protesting and not violent protesting. That is one thing that I admire about him. He wasn't a violent man. I think he was a good man working for the betterment of his people.
I don't think people changed that much. We all regretted that it happened in Memphis. I don't think anyone I knew thought that's what should of happened because we didn't think that is what should of happened. As far as view changing I believe that we have had better civil rights here in Memphis since the assassination happened. I think a lot of people have changed their view and have come to accept the African Americans.
I Worked not too far from where I worked. I worked at the Harding Graduate School of Religion (which is now Harding School of Theology). I got to work at eight o'clock every morning. We really didn't have any fears on the campus it was quiet it was a good place to work. I think that integrating the schools caused a lot of problems in Memphis because a lot of the white people didn't want the African Americans in their school. I think the African Americans were simply trying to get better school systems for their children. Since my children went to a private school it really didn't change things for us as a family. We were more cautious at night especially going downtown because of fear. The assassination disrupted the tranquility of memphis.
People have different ideas about integration than I do. I feel like we all are equal. The African American people deserve the same opportunities that we had and still have. They should be payed equal pay. They should be allowed to get and education. I think the only way we are going to solve the problems is to set their standards as high as ours. If they were better educated and had a normal home life and had an opportunity to go to school we would have a more unified memphis. I think they are entitled to as much education as white folks. The only way to change the demographics is to educate people, have better living conditions and have a general respect for people. That's the only way we are going to change Memphis I believe.