Efraim: Where did you live?
JoEddye: In Memphis
Efraim: What was it like?
JoEddye: Not too bad, I got married, graduated from high school, just kinda quiet. There was some racial unrest with the Garbage Men strike.
Efraim: What stands out about living in Memphis in the 1960s?
JoEddye: I guess Martin Luther King getting shot.
Efraim: Describe your life in 1968. What was a typical day like for you in 1968? Regarding School? Work? And How is it different from today?
JoEddye: Um well, I’d go to work, come home, and cooked dinner for us. I was married then, and now I go to work come home and maybe go out to eat. Now my husband passed away. I guess it is the same just with less to do.
Efraim: What do you remember about the day King was assassinated? What was different than normal? How did you feel? What did you think?
JoEddye: Um... well I was sorry of course that it happened. I was glad they took him to Saint Joseph Hospital and that I was not on call in the Xray firm that night. I didn’t work at Saint Joseph, I worked at John Gaston, so I was glad they took him to Saint Joseph. Efraim: Where were you when you heard?
JoEddye: I think I must have been at home.
Efraim: How did you react?
JoEddye: I was worried about what would happened in town. We went over to check on my parents to make sure they were secure in their house.
Efraim: How did people around you react? How did things change throughout the night?
JoEddye: Uh, I can’t remember exactly when, but I think there may have been some riots that night downtown. I don’t remember if they were that night or the next day. There was unrest in town though.
Efraim: What did you think of King before and after his death?
JoEddye: To me he was kind of a troublemaker. Wherever he went something always happened. Even though he preached peace and love, it just seemed like it totally erupted wherever he went.
Efraim: Did life change at all after his death? Did people act different or view problems differently?
JoEddye: Uh yah. There was still a lot of racial tension I think out in town. I think it was a little worse, it definitely was for the next few weeks. There was a lot of unrest in town.
Efraim: Is there anything else about that time in your life that we haven’t discussed that you’d like to add?
JoEddye: No that is probably about it.