Gordon L. was 15 years old when his family recently moved from Nashville to the rapidly growing east Memphis. Industrialization was rapidly approaching as new buildings were erected and new subdivisions were created. Gordon lived in an all white, middle class neighborhood. From his view things seemed to be segregated.
While his younger siblings went to Harding Academy, in the 1967-1968 school year, Gordon began his sophomore year at M.C. Williams High School, presently known as Germantown High School. He rode the bus everyday to his predominately white school. After the school system shut down Neshoba, a predominately black school, many black students began to migrate to Germantown High School were Gordon began to take classes with a black student.
News coverage was buzzing about MLK and the sanitation workers controversy. Gordon remembers videos and photos of rioters setting fires and going crazy. Everyone had the imminent fear of their personal safety. Once King was shot, Memphis went into all lawlessness. Gordon was at home with his family watching destruction on the television set. When Gordon returned to school the next day, he found that many students stayed home. Riots continued. Once school started the next week, things were drastically different. The principal made the black and white students walk on opposite sides of the hallway, and they were not permitted to speak to each other. Students were never to walk alone, and no violence was tolerated.
Obviously King is still a huge figure in American history. He became an inspiration. Today their is still division which is evident by the tension of police officers killing black citizens. Gordon believes King's actions greatly influenced the culture we live in today. It may not be perfect, but it's better.