As you can imagine, living in the south of Memphis was very segregated during the 1960s. There were so many protests going on about receiving the rights that many people deserved. My grandfather, Jessi D., was born and raised in South Memphis. He said that it was happy at times but there were other times growing up that he saw things that most kids shouldn't be allowed to see. He didn't live in the best part of town. He said what stood out the most about living in Memphis in the 1960s was all the conflicting violence and non-violence protests and the segregation. A typical day in 1968 was a school day since my grandfather was only fourteen, putting him in the ninth grade. He walked himself to school since he was very close, he said that you probably couldn't do that now. Although his neighborhood wasn't the safest, he was able to walk himself to school not only because it was close but also because he was strong and he said most people knew not to "mess with him." He said that since he lived in an all black neighborhood, he fit in well since he is also black and that him and his friends used to walk together all the time to look tough.
The most memorable thought that my grandfather has was that he was standing outside and all of a sudden a lady came out and shouted at him to stay inside before he gets hurt. He didn't want to listen to the lady because he thought of her as an old simple lady who should mind her own business, but doesn't. He stayed outside for a few minutes until his mom came home. She yelled at him and told him to listen to the neighbors when they tell him to go inside. His mom sat him and his brothers down and told them on their couch in their small home. He said that things felt darker in his neighborhood after Martin Luther King's assassination, that some people kept more to themselves and others protested even more. There were shootings and riots in his neighborhood and many other neighborhoods. He said that he cried when he first found out about the assassination even though he didn't know too much about the man, but he was crying because he knew about the impact he had made on society. That night was a very angry night due to the actions of the people around.
At his house, he sat inside with his family, they sat in what seemed to be silence. He said he remembers feeling mad within the next few hours of the night, he was confused as to why someone would even consider shooting the man who did so many good things. The city was violent, he said. The city was at rage and some blacks became very prejudice towards the whites. Before King's death, all my grandfather knew about was the impact King made on society and why he was there in Memphis. He didn't even think about the fact that Memphis could be violent. After the assassination, he thought harder about the entire situation and tried to consider why someone would want to shoot King, but couldn't find a single reason. He realized after King's death how much he has changed society and he said that he felt change coming for the better in the future, but "only time will tell."
Life, especially in Memphis, changed tremendously after his death. (I personally believe that it changed a little bit more in Memphis due to the fact that the assassination occurred in Memphis - My grandfather agreed.) People changed and came to realize that Martin Luther King
had a purpose, it shouldn't have taken someone's life to prove that, but the man preached to bring us closer together as one unified society. People's attitudes also changed. Some people become prejudice and others opened up and came to accept everyone no matter what race they were, they became more understanding.
My grandfather was young and says that he didn't completely understand at the time why the shooting happened but he remembers his thoughts and his reactions as if the assassination occurred just the other day. He was scared, angry, sad all in one which caused him to feel a sense of loneliness for some reason. Every time he went to question the situation to a family member, he was shot down and unsure of why. What he didn't realize is that they were as in as much shock as he was. The assassination was tragic, but life changing for everyone.