In 1968, Carl W. was only 2 years old. He was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. During this time, Memphis was full of racial tensions. Whites and Blacks were divided by a racist society. In school, teachers were only teaching about American history, but not African American history. Blacks could only go to places that were for Black people. Whites Went to things that were for Whites only. Even if blacks wanted to ride on the bus, they had to sit at the back. We could never sit in the front or we would be kicked off the bus.
It was a very sad day when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. When it happened they announced it on the news everywhere. People were so and upset. The nation was in shock. Everyone I know reacted with bitterness. the worse. African Americans Everything took a turn for felt like he was their spokesman. Mr. W. felt like a good person was wrongfully gunned down. He was a strong, black activist, that fought for his people. Dr. Martin Luther King believed in nonviolence.
After that, there was vandalisms, riots, and burning down buildings. Life was just crazy and dangerous. African Americans had been through a lot these past few decades. The night after the killing MLK, Mr. W. remembers, people were still crying. Everyone was still in shock, and a few other cities had riots. Mr. W. wondered, "How could you take someone's life that we looked up too?" It was a very horrific moment in time.
Life after King's death changed incredibly, African Americans didn't have a leader. We lost a strong willed person, who fought for the rights of African Americans. He believed in equality of all races. Dr. King fought for rights of every human being. Mr. W. believed, he showed bravery and courage regarding anything that came his way, that's why so many people respected him and his good heart.
Life after Dr. King's death was horrifying, and the people felt like they had to keep protesting and fighting for all races to have equal rights. Attitudes didn't change much, however, it seemed like everyone started to stand up more for what they believed in. African Americans were so upset that they started to riot. Riots broke out around the United States. Some burned down buildings, while others were vandalized. When riots would break up, there would be horrific scenes. People were bloody and beat up. The police would beat them with clubs, send dogs on them, and even sprayed water hoses on African Americans. The whole situation was terrible and unbelievable. Citizens were getting killed just because of their color, once again.