In 1968 Hugh P. was a 21 year old attending Memphis State University. In the 1960s he lived in Bartlett, a sleepy little suburban town right outside of Memphis that was just starting to grow. Bartlett was a great place to live. A typical day in 1968 was sleeping in as late as he could before classes at Memphis State University and working part time at his family business. The Vietnam war was going on at the time and was all people could talk about until the day Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.
The day King was assassinated was hard for everyone. He was well known for his work for equal rights and had many supporters. Hugh respected King and his efforts although peace wasn't always the result which made it hard. When King was shot the whole city was in shock. A curfew was set and if you were caught out on the street you would be arrested. Hugh and his friends narrowly escaped being arrested from trying to make it home in time for curfew. He had been at a party at his girlfriends house when the curfew was announced so his options were spend the night at her house which was not acceptable or hurry home. He and his friends hurried home but ended up getting pulled over. They thought they would be arrested but luckily they didn't. Many people hid in their houses over fear from the shooter and others rioted in the streets.
After the death of Martin Luther King life changed but not in the way many had hoped. The civil rights movement continued but progress was very slow which frustrated a lot of people. That slow progress continues to this day.