Charlene M. by Nick M., Harding Academy

I am Charlene M. and in 1968 I was 19 years old. At that time I lived in north Memphis. It was a very  friendly community that I lived in. The majority of the people were not as fortunate as others money wise. In place of that we did a lot f family activities. Church also played a very important role in that time. The majority of the 60's I was a teenager so school was also essential. Basically I just enjoyed life but I knew things would have to change for things to get a lot better. In 1968 my first child was birthed into this earth two months before Dr. King was assassinated. A typical day for me was taking care of my family. I was not working at the time Dr. King was killed. I remember he was assassinated in the evening. It was nothing really different about this day than any other day. You were always excited when Dr. King was in the city. I was at home when I heard that Dr. King had been assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. My  was just me calling friends and family. We then prayed and cried about it. People were up all night in different part of the city. Some people showed their anger with rioting. It was a sad night in my community. We all loved Dr. King and hated that his life ended the way that it did. I stayed at home and listened to the news. I heard about the race riots and looting in every state. Black people were upset. I always thought that Dr. King was a very intelligent Black man. He had a voice that made you listen and demanded respect. I felt that he was the greatest thing that had happened to black people in a long time. He was a very special American. I loved him more after his death because he ended up dying for something he believed in. After his death some things changed. Black people acted different for the first few years after his death. It was like after Dr. King died people's interest in him died. It did not seem like anyone to really keep the movement going. Yes, a lot of attitudes changed.