In the 1960s, Patricia Craft was living in Memphis and attending Memphis State. Today it is known as the University of Memphis. It was an exciting time for her. Memphis was growing with entertainment as it had a mall and Poplar Plaza. Memphis State was also doing great in basketball with the school no longer being segregated. She did not know it, but life was going to change in 1968.
It was Mrs. C.'s eighteenth birthday in 1968. Her classes at Memphis State started early in the day, and stayed at the library after to get her school work done. At noon, she went to her job she had at JC Penny's; although, today she is retired from being a school teacher. Patricia was at home one night with her mom when it came on the news that Martin Luther King Jr. had been shot. Her mom and she were both shocked and upset. They had admired him for his goals, but they were afraid that people were going to get hurt. She soon heard sirens in the distance and saw on TV that everyone was advised to stay in their homes. Her dad was at work when King was shot, so she was scared that he would not be able to make it home.
Before and after King's death, Mrs. C. had thought the same about him. Her family thought that his speeches were inspirational, and they knew he was trying to do good for all people. For a while after King's death, life had changed now that they had a curfew. The national news was looking at Memphis, and not in a good way. She thought that people's attitudes had changed because of King. It opened up discussions and made people look at their own prejudice.