Mayer Eisman was born and raised in Memphis Tennessee. He saw first hand the racial tensions and the direct aftermath of Martin Luther King J.R. assassination. King, was in Memphis to support the African American garbage men’s protest for equal pay and benefit, when he was gunned down by James Earl Ray.
Where did you live? What was it like? What stand out about living in Memphis in the 1960’s?
“I was born, raised, and still live in Memphis. During the 1960’s the economy was booming and most people had jobs at that time.
Read MoreHow was life in 1968?
“It was wonderful, all of Memphis was wonderful at that time.Just the best place in the world to live and that was our city. But anyway, the thing about living in Memphis was everything was peaceful. Everyone had their place and they go along just fine. And the way they treated the black people goes back to the civil wars times. Where my Grandfather, he fought in the Civil war with a black boy his age.They were always together and really good friends.”
So you said Memphis was very peaceful in the 60s?
“Memphis was very peaceful; it was absolutely the model of a city.”
Where did the black people live?
“The black people lived in their own subdivisions. And some even worked for us. Some people even had servant houses. Most of them were old and broken down.”
Read MoreDuring the 1960s, Israel Katz lived in Collingwood just outside of Memphis. At the time he was about forty years old and was married with three children. He worked as an accountant for the company that he had. He now lives in Memphis and has three children, nine grandchildren, and over fifteen great grandchildren.
“I remember I was at my mothers house helping her when it happened. The next thing I really remember was the riots. They started almost immediately after. My mother and I watched them on the TV.
Read MoreWhere did you live? What was it like? What stands out about living in Memphis in the 1960s?
I was living on Hawthorne, right off of Vollintine. Memphis seemed to be a lot safer of a town in those days than it is now. People weren’t scared of walking around or driving around in certain areas. Two blocks from where I lived was actually a black neighborhood. Our side was an upgraded area and they were right nearby, and we we never really fearful of anything. Nowadays, I would not even want to go there in the daytime, but we used to drive around there. In fact, I remember one Saturday night, on Vollintine, I was going to a girlfriend and a car came from the side of the street and hit my car. But really, we weren’t fearful, like people would be now. Of course, we weren’t connected with downtown, where all the riots were, but it was a nice time to live in Memphis.
Read MoreI interviewed my grandmother. Life was good for her. My grandmother was 46 years old and lived in Memphis when Dr. King was assassinated. She was married to my grandfather and had my mom, who was 2 at the time. She was also teaching at Lester Elementary a School. While she was driving home from her job, she heard on the radio that Dr. King had been shot. She was so emotionally sad that she had to pullover on the side of the road.
Read MoreImogene J. was 40 years old on April 4, 1968 when Martin Luther King Jr. was shot in Memphis, Tennessee. At the time, she was working at the Memphis State library. She loved almost everything about her job. The one thing she did not like about working at the school library was that it was segregated. The act of segregation went against everything that her parents had taught her as a young child years prior.
Read MoreMy name is Mattie T. and I was 45 years old during the time of Martin Luther King's assassination. I live in South Memphis on Doris Street. During that time, everything was mostly serrated. Church was a like a gathering where we got a chance to fellowship with family and friends. Beale Street stood out the most to me. It was like an entertainment place for the community. I was married and had nine children. My husband worked on the railroad at night.
Read MoreI interviewed Elizabeth C. In 1968, she was 40 years old. She lived in Memphis and said that it was a very enjoyable place. She and her husband both worked. Memphis was a thriving city but salaries weren't high. Everything including stores was located downtown. She worked at Rodney Baber printing company. She became an assistant there when she was only 17 and waited on customers. There were many female office workers working at Mr. Baber' company. At this time many women were looked down upon in society. They weren't very important. Mrs. C. eventually became the Vice President of the company. During the time she was at work, she hired a nanny to take care of her children.
Read MoreThe person I chose to interview was Mr. George A. He went to Carl High school which is in Vicksburg, Mississippi. In 1968, George was 40 years old and lived in Bartlett, TN. In fact, he has lived in the same house since 1949. He said it was a very peaceful and nice community. He also added that Bartlett was the boondocks (located in the country) at that time. Germantown road was a two lane gravel road. The main thing that stood out to him about Memphis is that it was so peaceful, clean and friendly. In fact, he said if you blew your horn in Memphis you would get a ticket.
Read MoreThe person I interviewed for my project was my grandfather, Jim A. In 1968 he was 44 years old. In this time he lived in Memphis, Tennessee. He said that what stood out about living in Memphis around this period in history was the segregation between white people and black people. Everything restaurants, to busses, to even neighborhoods were segregated. In 1968, Jim had four kids, so a typical day was getting the kids ready for school then going to work then getting the kids from school later that day. His life revolved around being the best dad he could be. He said that life was much slower and simpler than it is now, there were no cell phones, therefore people just enjoyed being with each other more.
Read MoreI lived in Memphis in the 1960s. My family lived in the same home that I live in now. It's a small house in Frayser. The area was somewhat poor, but it was fine for my situation. However, I did feel unsafe very often. Memphis was obviously very segregated during this time, and the tensions were high in the city.
Read MoreMrs. Jean was 41 years old in 1968. She lived in quiet, peaceful Memphis, TN. With no TV or Internet she had to learn about news through the radio. To her, in that time in Memphis what stood out was the peacefulness and the cleanliness. Segregation was everywhere and that was how things were. A typical day for her was taking care of her kids. At the time she was a stay at home mom with 2 boys. She would get them off to school, pick them up, feed them, hang out at the park, and spend time with family. Unlike today, it moved slower and had more conservative ways of dressing.
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