MEMPHIS & CIVIL RIGHTS

 Last April marked the 55th anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis Tennessee. 

Visiting the Lorraine Motel which now houses the National Civil Rights Museum is emotional for its many visitors. 

And even the summer heat couldn't dissuade the crowds from visiting this historic site and standing in long lines. 

For crowd control there was a photo exhibit where guests were diverted allowing the crowd to be broken up into smaller groups. In this area one was asked not to photograph. Those photos set the tone of how the museum would examine the civil and human rights issues of then and now which is a mighty big endeavor. 

Tears flowed for me at the first set of photos one of which showed a black family visiting the Memphis zoo in the 50's where Blacks could only attend on Thursdays. There was a sign stating: NO WHITE PEOPLE ALLOWED IN THE ZOO TODAY.  

Gut wrenching to say the least. 

As I commented re: the Civil Rights Museum in Jackson, I would say the same mistakes were made in the Memphis museum.  There was too much information with sensory overload to digest the time lines, key figures and sentiments of such a volatile time in our history.

One weaves through the rooms and ends up in MLK's hotel room where he was shot on its balcony 55 years ago... 

 We all know we have not made as much progress in race relations as the Me too movement, numerous killings and police brutality continue... 

May our children's children be privy to less hatred than we are still exhibiting today.