Where did you live? What was it like? What stands out about living in Memphis in the 1960s? On a street called Tall Trees Drive in Memphis. No, normal life
Describe your life in 1968. What was a typical day like for you? Work?
I went to work at 8:30- about 5 (weekday)
What do you remember about the day King was assassinated? What was different than normal? How did you feel? What did you think? Where were you when you heard?
I can’t say that I remember a lot about it. Everyone heard from radio or television. I don’t know if you would say scared but they were worried about what would happen. We had a curfew bc they wanted to keep people home. So we stayed put and had some out of town people come by our house to collect money. They weren’t Memphian so they didn’t really know what was going on.
How did you react? How did people around you react? How did things change throughout the night?
Just shocked and surprised. Got to wonder what happens now. A lot of trouble? We were also upset about the fact that it happened.
What did you think of King before and after his death?
He was obviously getting to be very well known and a person in the news. I guess you would have to say you were worried you don’t know if he would cause a lot of trouble with the blacks and the whites. He was a significant person who was doing something that he had a right to do. We could understand him wanting to have a better life for the blacks. It wasn’t a big part of my life.
Did life change at all after his death? Did people act different or view problems differently? Do you think people’s attitudes changed?
No I don’t think so. It right didn’t effect us that much. Life didn’t change. You had to worry about what this would cause. Nothing life threatening.