April 3rd , 1968, Sarah Ann
It was normal for Sarah to go to school everyday and make good grades. She understood that people that were not her skin color did not get an education like she did so she took advantage of that. Usually when she got home she would look out her window and today was no different. She hears the chants and watches the crowd of Negroes protesting as usual. She hears them so much she got use to hearing them everyday. Some nights she would hear her father come in and say things like “Honey, those there Negroes just won't give up. We will just have to beat them since some have built the courage to talk back. We‘re going to have to beat em’ senseless. lt’s not like they have some anyways.” Sarah knows that her father is one of the men that will beat a Black man just if he looked him for two seconds, but Sarah on the other hand had a different feeling. She did not feel any anger towards blacks. She just looked at them as normal people with darker skin. She showed respect to them as long they did the same. Sarah Ann, was a white 15 year old who did not discriminate against negroes. That was unusual, but Sarah did not care, she just believed in what she believes. It was a normal day for Sarah. She came home to her mother making her a little snack while her lather was at work as an officer, who mostly patrolled downtown Memphis, especially during protests. Her mother was soared for her daughter's safety during those hours, but Sarah did not really pay much attention to that. She walked upstairs to her room and opened the curtains to her room and saw the large crowd of protesters. Her father just bought a new radio. She only listened to it when she was bored. When she cut it on she immediately heard “Martin Luther King Jr. will be in Memphis to support the sanitation workers.” Sarah knew exactly who Martin Luther King was. He was huge part of the Black community and they all respected him as a leader. She never really talked about him to anyone because she did not have anyone to talk to about him. Everyday after Sarah came home she would see a black girl about the same age as her walking from the all Blacks school. She only wore two different dresses and the same shoes everyday. There were times when Sarah was outside and the girl would catch Sarah looking her. She looked away quickly, but sometimes she would grin and do a small wave. Today was different. The girl walked pass as always but she noticed something in the street. She grabbed it and Sarah immediately noticed it was her ribbon she had in her hair earlier. The girl walked to her and said “ls this yours?” Sarah nodded slightly and took the ribbon. The girl began to turn around and started back walking. “My name is Sarah" The girl turned and looked at her and replied “Lucille”. Sarah smiled and the girl continued to walk. Sarah‘s mom was in the window watching and shaking her head that Sarah was being so nice to the Black girl, but Sarah saw nothing wrong.
April 3rd , 1968, Lucille
Lucille could not believe that a White girl was so polite to her. Her mother always said White people hate Blacks and are always rude to them, so she never attempted to talk to one. She always saw Sarah outside after school, but never shared her name. She saw her mom in the window looking at her with disgust. Lucille was pretty sure that was the last time she would talk to Sarah again. When Lucille got home, all of her eight brother and sisters were home putting clothes on. She asked why everyone was putting clothes on and they told her that they were about to go downtown. Lucille always wanted to, but was not allowed. But today was going to be different. She ran upstairs and took off her school socks and put regular ones on and grabbed one of her jackets and ran quickly downstairs. She yelled loudly “I want to go!” Everybody said no, but she would not take no as an answer. They finally decided to let her come, but she had to stay by her brothers at all times. Lucille never experienced this before and she wanted to badly. She was very scared because she has heard stories about the police officers beating Blacks out their way to make them leave. She also heard that Martin Luther King would be in Memphis the next day, her parents immediately said she could not go to that one. Her mother knew it was going to be crazy down there especially for the 15 year old. She was very mad that she could not go but she understood. She just continued to have faith in God that her and siblings would be safe tonight.
April 4th, 1968, Sarah Ann
The sun was beginning to set and it was very hectic. Martin Luther King was in Memphis and all the Blacks were very hyped about it. Sarah's dad had just left with 5 other police officers worked the event. Sarah's mom was scared to death for her husband's safety because she knew what could happen. Sarah turned on her radio to here what was going on. Her signal was not very good but she could make out some words every now and then. Her mom was listening too. "Martin... walking up.. stairs. He is waving, he is entering... hotel room.“ Sarah's morn seemed to be calm for the moment; she did not show motion much. About 15 minutes later the broadcaster yelled through the radio “Martin Luther King Jr. has been shot! l repeat King has been shot." At that very moment, Sarah heard so much commotion outside. She heard glass breaking and screaming. Sarah looked out her window and saw Lucille running with her brothers. Police sirens came from every direction. Sarah's mom frantically tried to call her husband, but never got a response. Sarah knew that King’s death was going to spark many riots and it was going to be unsafe for her to go outside the house.
Lucille April 4"‘, 1968
Lucille knew it was wrong for her to sneak to the protest and see Martin Luther King, but she just had to see him. She was going to get a slight glimpse of him and run back home before her brothers got back. Lucille was walking to get a closer look and accidently bumped into someone, her brother. He was so upset with Lucille, he pulled her arm about to yell but right at that moment a shot was fired. Everyone ducked and Lucille and her brother ran as fast as they could back home. Police officers were everywhere, pushing people to the ground. It was very hectic. When Lucille and her brothers finally made it home their mother hugged them because she was relieved that they were safe. Lucille was traumatized by what happened for a long time. The rest of her life
Narrator
The following days of the death of Martin Luther King's death were very scary days. There were riots, protests, fires, a lot of screaming in the streets. Police officers were everywhere, everyday. The Black community were depressed, but furious. Maiority of the Whites showed no remorse towards the historic hero. Many continued with the regular day to day lives. The Whites who were not as racist as the majority showed their respect to the Black community, but not much. Sarah Ann’s family moved to California the next month. Her mother said it was because she feared for her safety after she watched a crowd of blacks in the neighborhood throwing the bricks at the Whites’ houses. Some threatened to beat her if she said anything to them. Sarah‘s mom started packing the following week. Sarah and Lucille secretly met an arcade that allowed blacks and whites for 3 weeks before Sarah left. Their parents never found out they were friends, which is a good thing for the both of them. After Sarah left she secretly wrote Lucille letters. Lucille stayed in Memphis until she graduated, then moved to Arkansas. 15 years later she moved back to Memphis. She remembers when her mom stopped her from going to school for a month after the death of Martin Luther King because her mom did not believe it was safe, but she had to get an education, so of course she went back. Martin's killer was caught and charged, but Lucille was still scared because she felt as a black she was in danger. Years has passed and Lucille never forgotten the event and her trauma, but Sarah Ann and Lucille are still friends to this day and they make sure they have a picture of Martin Luther King in their house to remember his greatness.