In the 1960s, JoAnn D. moved from her home on a farm near Crawfordsville, Arkansas to Memphis, Tennessee. She lived in a beautiful and peaceful neighborhood called Whitehaven. Memphis is world famous because of Elvis Presley, he also lived in Whitehaven.His home is known as Graceland, and JoAnn lived nearby. Like most other young women in Memphis, she was a huge fan of Elvis. She had even kissed him once. However, Elvis was not her true love. She had recently met and married her husband, Tommy D., who grew up in Memphis.
At the beginning of l968, JoAnn was working for Sears Roebuck at the Crosstown store in Memphis. Her husband was working as a pipe fitter for the Illinois Central Railroad. On January 22, their first of three sons was born. He was a real cutie pie, and they named him Thomas Franklin D. Jr. Things were much different than they are today. There were no computers, no internet, and no mobile phones. The family did not even have a television. They heard most of their news and entertainment from the radio, but their main focus was their new baby.
On April 4th, 1968, after Tommy had gotten home from work, JoAnn was listening to the radio. The announcer comes on and gave the terrible news that Dr. King had been shot and killed while standing on the balcony, outside his hotel room in Memphis. Like many other people, JoAnn was scared about what would happen next in Memphis. She and Tommy decided to leave their home in Whitehaven and drive to her parent’s home in Arkansas. They were shocked and appalled at the news of Dr. King’s assassination, but their main concern was the safety of themselves and their new baby. JoAnn’s parent’s house was way out in the country, with only one gravel road in and out. They knew they would be safe there. That night, JoAnn, Tommy, and JoAnn’s parents stayed up all night listening to the radio. It was not good. Dangerous riots were breaking out in the streets of Memphis, and a curfew was announced. JoAnn and Tommy decided to spend the night in Arkansas. Tommy had been helping JoAnn’s father by driving a combine, so he would have something to keep him busy. Now, since all they could do was wait, they did the obvious. They waited. They felt vulnerable and scared and worried about their house and belongings in Whitehaven.
Before his death, JoAnn did not pay too much attention to Dr. King. She was busy with her own life and did not have time to listen to the news or keep up with current events. She was focused on caring for her newborn baby and her husband. However, she did know who Dr. King was and generally thought of him as a good person and a Christian. JoAnn was one of the few older people who thought Dr. King was making a difference in the world. She also thought that he was doing the right thing to support the striking sanitation workers in Memphis. JoAnn’s opinion of Dr. King did not really change after his death. If anything, she came to see him as an even better person.
After Dr. King’s assassination, everyday life did not change very much for the Donaldson family. Memphis was still pretty segregated. Not many African Americans worked with Tommy at the railroad, and J oAnn had quit work to stay home with their baby. Their neighborhood was almost all white. The only African Americans they really knew were the ones who worked on JoAnn’s dad’s farm, and they were mostly older. After things calmed down, JoAnn and Tommy returned to their normal lives. Dr. King’s assassination did have an impact on people’s lives or attitudes. Many older whites hardened their hearts toward African Americans and even made negative comments about Dr. King. Things were different for younger people, like JoAnn and Tommy.
JoAnn believes everyone has certain rights. She wishes she would have paid more attention to Dr. King during his lifetime. She was just too busy with her own life at the time. She wonders what the world would have been, if Dr. King had not been killed. It was a strange time for her. She was happy with her new baby. On the other hand, she Wa s scared about her baby’s future. There was already a lot of protests and unrest in the country, then Dr. King was assassinated, and a few months later Robert F. Kennedy was also shot and killed.