In 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Joy R. was sixteen years old in l968, a sophomore in high school. She lived in Central Gardens, which is located in Midtown. Central Gardens, an older area of Memphis, had big houses and trees. Joy was a teenager in a Catholic, all girl high school and she attended a neighborhood church. In the l960’s, there were issues regarding the rights of the people in Memphis. An aroma of change lingered in the air, as if about to collapse on the city at any moment. There was no instant communication, like television, and the only phones were at home connected to the wall.
The day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, it was just a typical day. A typical day for a sophomore in high school entailed going to school five days a week, chores at home, and family time on the weekends. For Joy Rice, school was the world, as it was for most girls her age. The sense of trust was stronger then and there was a stronger attachment to family in the l960’s. Bonds between family members were firm, and they did many things together. Walking around in the l960’s, one would see many differences than in the present time. One thing was all the poufy hair that people had.
The day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, Memphis was going through its normal daily routine. That evening, Dr. King made his “I have a dream” speech. Joy and several others girls were at a slumber party. Their school had a holiday that next day. It was nighttime when the girls found out about the assassination. “Dr. King has been shot!” The news spread like wildfire throughout the city. Memphis was frantic in a state of shock and panic. The entire city shut down! The police were present in all areas and they tried to calm people down and keep peace. All throughout the city, stores were looted and riots started! Rioters were in the streets and threw bricks, stole, and everyone was scared and fearful.
The girls with Joy at the slumber party sat on the floor, away from the windows, watched the TV, and tried to find out about the assassination. Joy’s father owned a small grocery store and he received a call late in the evening. His grocery store had been broken into and looted. The police would not allow her father to drive, so they came and picked him up. They were fully armed and made him wear a helmet. His storefront was broken, things were stolen, and the police tried to close the broken storefront off with nails and boards. Sirens were wailing all throughout the night, and everything shifted from normal. Everyone was worried and embarrassed for Memphis, to be the place of the tragic assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The houses were all kept dark with no lights on.
As a Catholic, Joy had been raised to respect everyone, so of course she respected Dr. King. She had never heard her parents call African Americans “blacks.” Joy felt that what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was trying to do was make a difference in a peaceful way. Others made his job much harder by adding violence. Since he had been speaking, the normal peacefulness of Memphis shifted to anxiety. Joy had always respected Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and she respected him after his death, too. Something that happened on a bus when she was little may have raised the level of respect. She was a small child on a bus with her mother. They sat in the last row before the designated seats for African Americans on the bus. A black lady talked politely with Joy and her mother. After the conversation ended, a white man yelled at Joy’s mom for letting her child talk to a black. They got off the bus and walked home. Joy thought mainly that we needed change.
After Dr. King’s death, for several days a cloud of fear hung over Memphis. The Memphians were afraid of change; afraid to change their ways, as if another assassination would occur. People dealt with their problems differently because they were aware of what was going on economically, socially, and politically. They also realized that they did not like segregation or inequality for women. Those who disagreed strongly began to speak out for what they believed in. Dr. King’s example made people want to stand up for their rights. Of course, people were a little more cautious after Dr. King was shot. This event opened the eyes of many people, informing them of what needed to change. Just like Joy did, everyone needed to always respect the rights of others.
The world mourned the loss of a great speaker, a renowned man. He was humble and brave. He was an influential person. People went about their business and most of Memphis returned to normal. Although the world never and will never forget Dr. Martin Luther King, he had a greater impact on Memphis than anywhere else. We were honored to have him come to Memphis, yet afterwards, embarrassed that such a thing happened in the city. Dr. King made an even greater impact than he had anticipated. He showed us that even though violence is always around, you can still make a peaceful difference.