For my Assignment, I decided to interview my grand mother, Amy B.. She was 24 years old in 1968. She agrees to help me with my interview. She enjoyed helping me. It is great to hear how shekels about the events.
My Grandmother lived in South Memphis. She says that it was a great neighborhood. The community was great also. She was employed in 1968. She was married with one daughter. She was grateful for her job at Federal Reserve Bank but often felt that she was hired as a “token black” for the company.
April 4, 1968 she was watching TV when the program was interrupted with an announcement that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed. She felt sad for his family. She could not believe that it was true. Throughout the night, “All hell broke loose” with looting and violence.
She states that after Dr. King was shot everything felt very uneasy. She remained home that night glued to the TV for further developments. She says that the city was asking for calm but was met with anger and violence. The National Guard was deployed into Memphis and a curfew was enacted. Eventually, peace was restored.
She thought that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a very brave and great man. “I believed in his cause and the non-violent movement,” she said. She believes that due to Dr. King’s teachings, guidance, and strength working with the civil rights movement, many great things were achieved. Since Dr. King’s death, my grandmother still thinks of hi as a great man. His teachings and beliefs still live on.