Bubba B. grew up in South Memphis, attended college at Ole Miss, served in World War II, retired from military service, and became a clerk for the Memphis court. Back in the 1960s, Memphis was a very divided city. Most of the population were democratic, and all of the high schools were segregated. In the court system in Memphis in the 60s there were four judge and the jury was selected by a commissioner. After the death of Martin Luther King Jr. most of the court cases got held back as far as six months.
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 MoreBeverly H. by Taijah L., Harding Academy
Life in the 1960's was a simple time, there was a feeling of security. I was living in Walker Homes at the time with my parents, brother, and sister. The Civil Rights Movement was occurring at the time and everyone was extremely excited when Dr. King came in town to give his speech. It felt like any other morning the day of the assassination.
At the time of the Martin Luther King accident I was in the eleventh grade. I remember being at home just getting home from school and hearing that he was dead. I felt stunned and devastated at the same time.
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 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 MoreElla Mae B. by Cami Bea A., Harding Academy
At the age of 28, Ella Mae B. lived in Memphis in the 1960s. She lived at Lamar Terrace. Lamar terrace was a place where you lived when you did not have much money. Memphis in the 1960s was not that bad. There was not much violence. There was not a twenty- four hour watch and you did not need to have bars on your windows. Ella Mae's typical day was working at a shoe factory called Wohl Shoes. She shipped shoes in and out. She also had two kids then and took care of them. Ella Mae's life now is very different. She is retired and has three kids now. Martin Luther King, Jr. was
Read MoreMrs. Pat E. by Mindy S., Harding Academy
Mrs. Pat E. grew up in Memphis in a mixed neighborhood. She lived two blocks from Lamar Avenue on Waverly. She and her friends would play outside at night and feel completely safe. Memphis was known for being the one of the cleanest, quietest, and safest cities back in the 1950s and early 1960s. People back then were proud to be a Memphian. Even though she attended segregated schools, she lived in a mixed neighborhood and was friends with the black people in that area of Waverly.
Read MoreBarbara L. by Jailyn W., Harding Academy
This is the story of my aunt, Barbara L., who lived with her mother, Katie L. in South Memphis, a predominantly black neighborhood in the south. Life during this time was difficult but her mother made sure that her kids were very well taken care of, to the point where my aunt did not know she was poor compared to other families. Aunt Barbara recalled a day in 1953, the Laird family took the bus to a carnival on the corner of Main Street and Beale Street when the bus began to get full. The bus driver told Ms. Katie to give up her seat for white passengers. She refused and the driver threatened to call the cops, but she remained seated until their stop which was coming up. For Aunt Barbara, this was the first time she realized that segregation and discrimination was real.
Read MoreMr. Stanley, by Mikyla S., Harding Academy
Hi, my name is Mr. Stanley and I'm going to tell you about my life in the 1960's. I lived in south Memphis. I liked living in my neighborhood because there was no segregation and everyone in the neighborhood knew each other. Life was great in the late 1960's because you would have everything you wanted. Waking up in the morning with a roof and shoes on our feet was all we really needed. A regular normal day for me back then was waking up in the mornings and getting ready for school. Because we lived in South Memphis, we had to ride the city bus to our school in North Memphis.
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