Richard C. by J. A. Lee, Harding Academy

In 1960 life for me Richard C., was the same every day. I was 32 married. Living in south Memphis was comfortable for my family and I; even though the city was segregated I couldn’t think of a city in the south that wasn’t divided between blacks and whites. Every day life for me consisted of going to work, going to class, and then going home and once I had my daughter, Angie, I would have more days off because my wife had to work as well. I sure can tell you that life now in 2014 and life in 1960 is completely different. Now that I am retired I don’t have to worry about were money is going to come from. Back then most families lived paycheck to pay check with not a lot of extra money just getting by with the essentials.  The night king was assassinated I remember there being a lot of riot not only in the city but in the country.  People were looting stores out of anger and it seemed as if the police were arresting every black person on the street. . One vivid memory I can recall is walking down the street and seeing the police beat several people on the corner. I was terrified to leave my house for a while, I didn’t know if I was going to get arrested or if somebody was going to throw a brick at my window while I was driving down the street. Before king was assassinated honestly I had a lot of respect for him and I thought he was a messiah because he was working for the better of our people to get justice.  After king died my thoughts of him didn’t change I still thought he was doing the right thing I just hate the facet he died from hatred. I could tell some whites were more sympathetic and sad that was killed but as expected some were ecstatic. Dr. Martin Luther King jr. did a lot to help the country open their eyes to what was going on concerning the minorities and inequality. Even though all the problems are not solved we have come a long way and I believe his dream is slowly coming true.