In 1968 Hugh P. was a 21 year old attending Memphis State University. In the 1960s he lived in Bartlett, a sleepy little suburban town right outside of Memphis that was just starting to grow. Bartlett was a great place to live. A typical day in 1968 was sleeping in as late as he could before classes at Memphis State University and working part time at his family business. The Vietnam war was going on at the time and was all people could talk about until the day Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.
Read MoreJames M. by Lance M., Harding Academy
It was early on a Thursday when I woke up to go to work at "Quick-Stop" the local grocery store in South Memphis. The city was a little different today because Dr. Martin Luther King was here today. This was a huge deal to have such a great leader and reformer in my city working for the betterment of people's lives here in Memphis. Once I got off work about 4:00 p.m I went over my girlfriend's house to relax over there. At about 6:00 we received news that Dr. King was shot at the Lorraine Motel.
Read MoreBill V. by Tess M., Harding Academy
The average American will experience many trials and tribulations throughout their life as a young man or woman. Those living in Memphis, Tennessee during 1968, on the other hand would encounter a little bit more than the average. Martin Luther king junior was a man of many dreams, hopes and awe inspiring ideas. He influenced millions of people not in just the United States alone, but throughout the entire world. To some people he was the light to their darkness, he gave them hope when all they could see was despair. At the time we lived in a world full of old, grimy, and selfish ideas. Slavery had ended and the African American community had been trying to regain their rights as human beings, and never look back as being seen as "property".
Read MoreBilly M. by Jonathan J., Harding Academy
Mr. Billy was thirty-three years on in the year of 1968 it was a normal day to day life until he was shot , then everything was put onto a curfew. Striking and fighting from time to time, but nothing that originated in Memphis. Mr. Billy's typical day was at the Burger joint I worked at, which served both races, 9 to 5 and had a half for the white people and the African American people to sit. I am retired now and obviously this causes the labor from day to day has drastically changed.
Read MoreBetty B. by Amanda R., Harding Academy
I remember it clearly. I was twenty-four years old, married, and living out in Raleigh. This period of time in Memphis was typically good. Although, we were recognizing the injustices around us facing the black community; but, there was so many of the white people that were products of years, and years, and years of their environment’s attitudes. I will never forget the time that my family went on a bus ride. Of course, in that time, the black people would get on and go all the way to the back of the bus. Then, on the news, they would “complain” about was the fact that they had to do that and should not have to move to the back of the bus.
Read MoreCarl M. by Caleb W., Harding Academy
The person I interviewed was my grandfather, Carl M. In 1968, he was 29 years old. He lived on Danville road, in Memphis Tennessee, which is in south-east Memphis. This was a fairly new developing area, it was close to schools and shopping areas. In the 1960s Memphis was a good place to live and work, had moderate income and had safety throughout the whole city. There were many things to do, his church was nearby, kids went to local schools with close
Read MoreMr. Jim C. by Caleb K., Harding Academy
“In 1968 I would have just turned 27.” Recalled Mr. Jim C. in a recent interview. “I was living just east of Highland Street and south of Park Avenue. Living in Memphis during that time was interesting, because of the focus on Memphis because of the recent sanitation strike. During that time I was teaching at Treadwell at the time, and you could say it was an interesting school, because of it’s mix of working class and upper class, with a few African Americans.” “There wasn’t much racial diversity where we lived, because we pretty much lived in a white neighborhood.” Mr. C. remembered when asked what a typical day in the late 60’s was like. “But growing up was different than when I was older. Growing up in a small town in Arkansas with very few African-Americans I was always afraid of them because they were different. If I was walking down the road, and I was going to meet one on the sidewalk, I would cross the street so I didn’t have to.
Read MoreDr. William E. C. by Isabel L., Harding Academy
I grew up in a very liberating point of history, the 1960's. Many things happened in this time period. Such as, women's liberation movement, civil rights movement, and the U.S.'s participation in the Vietnam war. Growing up in Mississippi, I had very obscure views of African Americans, and more specifically Martin Luther King Jr..
I attended Southern College of Optometry (SCO)as a fourth year student in 1968. SCO's campus is located in midtown on Madison Avenue. As a student, five cumulative exams were given to you on a Friday at the end of the year, and five the next Friday. So after studying the Thursday before exams, my friend and I decided to take a "study break" and go see the newest James Bond movie. As we were leaving the theatre, a snow storm came throughout Memphis. I later found out that this snow storm set the record as the third largest snowfall in Memphis. SCO decided to cancel school for Friday, so consequently exams were pushed back.
Read MoreJewell E. Jr. by Jayden M., Harding Academy
I interviewed my grandfather Jewell E. Jr. for my Martin Luther King Jr. project. Jewell E. is very wise and educated man. He was born in Hernando, Mississippi during a time of segregation and racial profiling. My grandfather was 21 years old and stationed in Camp Drum, New York when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Once the news reached his army base, the base was locked and no one was allowed to leave. My grandfather did not hear the news of Martin Luther King 's Jr. death until the next morning.
Read MoreBennie M. by Luke K., Harding Academy
Mr. Bennie M. was a firefighter in Memphis in 1968 when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. Bennie lived in East Memphis with his wife Becky. Bennie remembered how Memphis was easier to get around and enjoy life. Also how life in general seemed to have less problems and was much safer in the 1960s. In 1968 Bennie was still a fire fighter where he would respond to fires and such. Bennie is now retired and works afternoons at Harding Academy after school care.
Read MoreBeverly M. by Karli W., Harding Academy
The assassination of Martin Luther King affected many people all around the world. For those living in Memphis at the time, this event is forever etched in their memory. Beverly M. is one of the thousands who has a story to tell from this event. In 1968, the year of the assassination, Beverly was 28. She had just moved back to East Memphis with her husband Jerry after spending two years away while he served in the military. They had been settled back in Memphis for about a month before King was shot. She recalls that Memphis had a much more "small town" feel to it than it does today. "
Read MoreDon H., by Gabbie E., Harding Academy
It’s 1968 and Don Howarth is twenty-two years old and has a pretty normal life. He lives at East Parkway and South Parkway. He has just gotten out of military service and started training in the police academy. This takes up most of his day by attending different classes and physical training afterwards. His school is from eight A.M. until three P.M. and physical training is three P.M. until five P.M. School and training occurs Monday through Friday.
Don has a very busy life with school, training, and studying after supper. Don thinks that Memphis has very minimal crime rates. It is a very peaceful place to live and the public school systems are very well run. Don thinks Memphis is an awesome place to live and would recommend it to anyone. Don really enjoys studying at the police academy and can’t wait to go out into the actual field.
The day Martin Luther King was shot was a pretty normal day for Don. Don got up and went to school and training and then came home. After school and training, Don decided that he needed to go to Kroger. He had this weird feeling because everyone was acting really different. They were acting a little more mean and rude. Then, Don went back to his apartment and saw the news. He saw that King had been shot and that is why the people were acting different. His first reaction was thinking of how his life might change, he wondered if he would be taken out of the police academy earlier and put into the streets. Finally, he went to bed as normal and woke up and went back to the academy to find out that they would not be taken out early. However, the next day at the academy they heard about all of the riots that were taking place around Memphis on the police radios. This made them all wonder the same question, what will happen to our city?
The next day was not very different, he went to school, training, and studied after supper. He was not affected emotionally because Don did not even think about King that much. Don had heard and seen a few things about him being at a communist school in the newspaper, but never followed up on it. He had a negative attitude towards him because of all the trouble that followed him everywhere (mini riots). This negative feeling grew because of the week-long riots that followed King’s death. Don knows that he would like him better than those who would represent the minorities in the future years to come, such as Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Sheila Jackson Lee, Barack Obama, and Eric Holder.
In the end, Memphis pretty much stayed the same except for racial relations. Don knew that the tension between blacks and whites grew after the shooting. The shooting also made Don’s summer interesting because of some inner city activities. His police work was more interesting because of the increase of criminal activity in inner city Memphis.
Read MoreMs. Candice V. by Elaine S., Harding Academy
Ms. Candice V. was a twenty year old college student in 1968. She commuted to the University of Memphis because she lived in Germantown. She had morning classes and was typically home around noon. She would leave to go to her first job on Union Avenue, which was from 5pm to 9pm. During this time, in Memphis, she remembers: the sanitation strike, the tanks and racism. She remembers that, but she also stated that it didn't really affect her a lot because most of the corruption was going on downtown and she was either at school or home. Her home life was good. H
Read MoreCarol B. by Bailey B., Harding Academy
I interviewed my gramma, Carol B. Carol was 26 in the year 1968. She was working at Methodist Hospital and married to my granddaddy, who worked as a Memphis fireman. They lived in the East Memphis area, in what is now Orange Mound. She said that, at the time, it was not nearly as bad as it is today. It was just a nice neighborhood full of friendly people. There wasn’t as much crime or drug problems in the area. It was simply “good times.”
Read MoreCarl H. by Antonio C., Harding Academy
So, I interviewed my grandfather, Carl E. H. about how living in the 1960’s and the effects of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Assassination.
In 1968, my grandfather (Papa) was 21 years old. He and his family resided in South Memphis. When asked what it was like during that time in Memphis, he began to explain that in the early part of the 60’s, he attended Mt. Pisgah High School. He remembers President Kennedy being the Commander in Chief. He recalls everything being pretty. When asked about racism, he said racism definitely existed. He was born in Germantown, TN and everyone was familiar with each other. There were certain people that no one messed with and his family, the H.'s family was that family.
Read MoreHugh P. by Wade L., Harding Academy
Hugh P. lived in the developing little town of Bartlett when Martin Luther King Jr. decided to come to Memphis, Tennessee for his second time, since the first time he had been scared away by one of his friends being killed inside the city. Hugh didn't really care much for what King was doing, in both being peaceful and his fight for equality, he was more focused on his wife-to-be, his studies, and working for his father's business. He would later go on one day to own that business with his son and son-in-law. The United States at the time was already quite volatile, with the Vietnam War being protested on, Robert Kennedy having been killed,
Read MoreKathryn K. by Timi O., Harding Academy
Kathryn K. in 1968 lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but travelled to Memphis, Tennesse and Oxford, Mississippi often. Ms. K. describes 1968 as year that was looking up because of the end of a recession. Ms. K. in 1968 owned a Beauty Shop and had her kids off to college and she says this was a good time in her life. Ms. K. does not recall much about where she was when she heard Martin Luther King Junior was assassinated but she described it
Read MoreCarolyn B. by Kynadi B., Harding Academy
Police were everywhere, swarming the streets all over Memphis looking for one man, guns cocked and ready to shoot, paramedics trying to save King, and citizens running rampant in anger and fear. That's how the streets of Memphis downtown looked according to Carolyn B., former employee at the BHS Custom tailors. She lived in South Memphis in the 60s when Elvis' music was thriving as he recorded at Stax Records and Recording Studio and girls wore long skirts with tennis shoes to neighborhood schools.
Read MoreLewis B. by Ian F., Harding Academy
In Memphis during the civil rights movement in the 1960s segregation and prejudice was a way of life. Tension between white and black people were at a all time high and even though they lived separately something was bound to happen eventually. When Martin Luther King came to Memphis, he came to fight for the sanitation workers. The black sanitation workers weren't getting equal pay and they weren't working in good conditions. King was peacefully protesting this by putting the sanitation workers on a strike until they received better benefits. Lewis B., who was working for the Uniside company,
Read MorePatti S. by Emily S., Harding Academy
Patti S. was a 28 year old women living in Memphis in 1968. She believed that Memphis was a pleasant place to live during this time period. Patti says that a lot of problems Memphis is facing now were not around back in 1960s. The thing she remembers most about this time period was the music. She enjoyed attending concerts that were played around Memphis and this type of music continues to be her favorite music.
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