”Goodbye momma!" I yelled to my mother from the front door, while gathering my college textbooks and heading out to the bus stop. "Goodbye son," softly said my mom as she gathered the laundry from the room that I shared with my brothers. My dad traveled behind me to his car in an effort to make it on time to his job. During my brisk walk to the bus stop I noticed that my quiet neighborhood was full of its typical activity. Mothers were waving to their children as they skipped off to school. Fathers were arriving home from their night jobs or hurrying off to work. I glanced at my watch to estimate how much longer the bus would be. lust as I looked down the bus pulled up and I was headed to Memphis State. While I scanned over my notes for the Biology test that day I overheard people discussing the arrival of Martin Luther King and couldn't help but wonder what tomorrow had in store.
Read MoreImogene J. by Jordan W., Harding Academy
Imogene 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 MoreNancy S. by Shelby T., Harding Academy
My grandmother, Nancy S., was 26 years old at the time of the assassination. She lived on 695 Loeb St. near the University of Memphis in an all white neighborhood. All churches and schools were segregated. Most people worked downtown and rode buses to work. Black passengers had to ride or stand in the back of the bus. Most homes employed black maids, yard workers, child caretakers, cooks, etc.
Read MoreJanet Bell S. by Avery E., Harding Academy
Janet Bell S. was eighteen years old on April 4, 1968, the day that Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed here in Memphis, Tennessee. As a freshman at Memphis State University, Janet lived just south of the campus, a then safe and white neighborhood. The community existed as a close-knit, familiar haven for Janet and her neighbors.
Read MoreGeorge C. by Shua F., Margolin Hebrew Academy-Cooper Yeshiva School
Where did you live? what was it like?
I lived in Memphis. Memphis was an extremely cordial yet racist community and didn't even know it. We had segregated bathrooms. if you went to a department store and walked through you would see a sign that said “mens room white only,” and then you would see another sign, “mens room, colored only.” You would see the water fountains “white only, colored only.” Our zoo, 6 times a week was for whites only, and one day a week was for coloreds. Same thing for the fairgrounds. Its hard to believe today, but that was the culture. In general, Memphis was kinda a small town, but a little bigger. Had three or four different Big Department store, and was by then, thriving.
Read MorePat C. by Bam C., Harding Academy
In the 1960s, Patricia Craft was living in Memphis and attending Memphis State. Today it is known as the University of Memphis. It was an exciting time for her. Memphis was growing with entertainment as it had a mall and Poplar Plaza. Memphis State was also doing great in basketball with the school no longer being segregated. She did not know it, but life was going to change in 1968.
Read MoreRick B. by Anna Grace H., Harding Academy
A normal day in the life of sixteen year old Rick B. in the 1960's included attending school at Harding Academy of Memphis, playing sports, and then off to work at the Corondelet grocery store. However on April 4, 1968, his normal routine was interrupted by an important historical event that shaped our nation's past.
While working at the grocery store, Rick's boss called for all employees and customers to go home immediately because Martin Luther King Jr. had just been shot downtown at the Loraine Motel
Read MoreGraden K. by Mary-Catching D. Harding Academy
In 1968 Graden K. resided with his family at the corner of Patterson and Deloach which is now where the University of Memphis' business school stands. Graden had just accepted a new job as a Chemistry professor at the University of Memphis. Compared to today, the city of Memphis would seem to be a completely different city: the attitude towards blacks was terrible. The blacks were poor and were only allowed to work menial jobs; as a result, they had undesirable housing. However, during that time there was one black millionaire. One of the main conflicts in
Read MoreJanice A. by Ashley C., Harding Academy
On April 4, 1968 Janice A. was 24 years old and living in Memphis, TN on Highland Street in what she considered to be a very safe, upscale neighborhood. During the time of the 1960’s, Janice considered Memphis to be a very clean and safe city, the economy was good, and she thought it was a good place to live overall. She said, “In the 1960’s, there were more churches than there were gas stations.” In 1968 Janice had a good job at Delta airlines receiving good pay. She was married to her husband, Charles, and she had a 3-year-old child, Cheri.
Read MoreMr. Larry, by Naomi C., Harding Academy
He was 25 living in east Memphis, preparing for a move closer to his school. Memphis at this time, as he thought it was very tense, the tension starting back in February he thought. He was a student at University of Memphis, he worked part time and was married for two years, his wife Kay worked full time. It was very different from now a days, he couldn't even begin to describe it.
Read MoreMrs. Craft, by Dylan C., Harding Academy
Mrs. Craft lived in Memphis,TN. In the 1960's it was a scary place to be. You had curfews and always had to have some form of protection. But, Memphis had its upsides. They had lots of dances and boutiques. It was like living in a separate world.
Read MoreMr. Kirksey, by John D., Harding Academy
My name is Mr. Kirksey and today I will be sharing my perspective of the events that happened the day MLK was killed. It was April 4 1968. I was 28 at the time. It was an exciting day, because MLK was coming to town. It was also a bit scary, because people were worried about riots starting and other bad things happening. I woke up and got ready for work. I took my regular 5 minute walk to the chemistry building at the University of Memphis. Now, Memphis was different during the nineteen sixties. In Memphis and all of America, blacks were forced to use different bathrooms, go to different schools, and sit at the back of the bus. In modern day Memphis you don't see that at all. I taught my regular classes and then went home. When I got home my son Howard asked me to play basketball. We had been playing for about thirty minutes when my wife came out and said MLK had been shot. I quickly went inside and watched the news. My opinion on MLK had always been that he was fighting for a good cause without being violent, so when I heard he was dead this made me very distraught. Throughout the night, my eyes stated glued to the tv. In response to MLK being assassinated, the city of Memphis took several measures to keep everyone safe and to catch the assassin. The University of Memphis set blockades and shut down the school. The commissioner put the city on grid lock and set a curfue. That night, there were no cars on the street. Through all this I was hoping no riots would start, that the assassin would be caught, and that the city of Memphis would come through. My opinion of MLK was the same before and after his death, I believed that he was working for a good cause in a non- violent way. A lot of blacks fighting for freedom would start riots and fights, but not MLK. MLK worked with courts to get what he wanted to achieve. After the death of MLK life changed in both big and small ways. The University of Memphis was closed for a couple of days. There were also a few people who had a change of heart after this. Even though civil rights had been passed in 1964, it took this to change a lot of people's hearts. Also, because of MLK's assassination and the civil rights act the next generation was less segregated. Unlike their parents, they would grow up with blacks going to the same school, using the same bathroom, and sitting freely on the bus just like them. I think MLK's assassination is important, because it was a turning point in the country. That's the end of my story, it's a story that I feel is very important. Even though a lot of people have a story about the day MLK died, I believe mine stands out from the rest.
Paul S., by Molly S., Harding Academy
The person I interviewed for this MLK project was my dad, Paul S. During the time Dr. King was killed in 1968, my dad was twenty-three. The first question I asked him was where he was living when Dr. King was shot. He told me he was living on Ellsworth Street, which is in Memphis, Tn. I asked him what stood out about Memphis in the 1960's. He told me that it was a much different city. "It was cleaner, the parks were excellent, and the streets and avenues were well kept. However, it was racially divided."
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