ving in Memphis in the l960’s was a rough time and not everyone was getting along especially blacks and whites. George B. lived in a small two bedroom apartment on Hunter Street by the airport area. Even in the l960’s the area was not the best, but overall people were much friendlier even though there was tension. It was a time where many of his friends were graduating and it was a good time to be alive. George however, was not home often and when he was he liked to stay at home with his wife, watch TV, and alive normal life. Many of the problems that seem to plague Memphis today, George did not worry about and was out often. George was expectantly and anxiously awaiting for the arrival of Martin Luther King Jr. He knew that the protest had people rallied up and Dr. King would only make them more so. Dr.King was a well respected man although George knew how much he rallied the people; George hoped the city would be ready.

Age in 1968: 19 years old
Where did you live? What was it like? What stands out about living in Memphis in the 1960’s? Memphis TN, Typical southern town, Memphis has always been a segregated town.

Describe your life in 1968. What was a typical day like for you in 1968? School? Work? How was it different from today?

In 1968 I was a Grad from high school. It was my sophomore year at Lemoyne Owen College. A typical day was to get up and work at the broom house for two hours then go to Lemoyne Owen College. Life is different now compared to then. It has been approximately 47 years and I have retired from Kroger and am a Pastor of Oasis Church of God In Christ.

For my Assignment, I decided to interview my grand mother, Amy B.. She was 24 years old in 1968. She agrees to help me with my interview. She enjoyed helping me. It is great to hear how shekels about the events. 

My Grandmother lived in South Memphis. She says that it was a great neighborhood. The community was great also. She was employed in 1968. She was married with one daughter. She was grateful for her job at Federal Reserve Bank but often felt that she was hired as a “token black” for the company.

My grandmother Eugenia was 25 years old and living in Memphis in the 60's during the height of the civil rights movement and Dr. king was the key activists during this period.

Before the height of the movement, she says that almost all the schools in the South were segregated, those she attended as well. "The schools were segregated, so all of the black kids went to different schools than the white kids, overall the materials and supplies we got were used and broken. We all got old desks and books that belonged to the white schools before us."

Martin Luther King Jr was a minister and prominent civil rights leader who advocated for the advancement of Civil Rights for African American people. On April 03, 1968, Dr. King traveled to Memphis to speak on behalf on African American Sanitarian Workers who were striking in efforts to receive equal wages. That day, he delivered his last sermon at Mason Temple in Memphis; not known as the famous "I've Been to the Mountaintop" address. The very next day, he was assassinated, here in the City, at the Lorraine Motel.

It was April 4, 1968. Another airy spring day Thursday afternoon in Memphis, T.N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A.K.A MLK was visiting on account for a speech. Across town in a quaint area called Oakhaven, a young woman by the name of Linda H. was leaving work at Holiday Inn located downtown. She was going to get her hair done (like she did every Thursday) and drove over to her beauty salon. Linda was about to leave when her mother called her, "Hun, would you like your father to come pick you up?" "No, thanks. I'm good." Little did she know, a man was assassinated, in her hometown. She was driving home when she noticed the tense atmosphere.

My name is Dorothy R.; I was 26 years old when Martin Luther King Jr. died. I was living in a poor area in South Memphis. Back then we had our own neighborhood. The neighborhood had its own schools and stores. Also families stayed together. There was also less crime in 1968. A typical day for me would be getting my children ready for the day, after they were ready I would get ready myself and go to work. I worked at Cecil's grocery for eight hours each day. Life was good until Martin Luther King Jr. got shot. After that the city felt different.