April 4, 1968
Memphis, Tennessee
If you’re of a certain age, the date and place stirs the image of a collective memory: men standing around the body of a dying Martin Luther King, Jr., pointing from the balcony of the Lorraine Motel at a building across the way where the fatal shot originated.
Memphis, Tennessee
If you’re of a certain age, the date and place stirs the image of a collective memory: men standing around the body of a dying Martin Luther King, Jr., pointing from the balcony of the Lorraine Motel at a building across the way where the fatal shot originated.
It’s a pivotal moment in Black and American history, the tragic loss of a great leader. His words and actions still inspire and challenge we, as one nation, to grow toward our potential and live the principles we aspire to.
When in Memphis make your pilgrimage to the Lorraine Motel, now home of the National Civil Rights Museum. Just to be in that space, knowing what transpired there, forces a soul searching upon you.
A wreath on the balcony outside room 306 marks the spot where Dr. King fell. The cars parked below, identical to those in that iconic image, are fixed reminders of the tragedy which transpired on that narrow stage.
To look around the plaza, to realize how near the assassin was as he took aim, to know this is where one chapter ended and another began in the struggle for national equality is to ask yourself what have I done, what more can I do to help realize his dream.
The Museum traces and tells of the struggle for Civil Rights from our earliest history. It’s a worthy education about ugly truths and noble ambitions that can be difficult for white Americans to face. But it is the story of black America, and the empowerment of basic human dignity.
The Lorraine Motel is one of Tennessee’s historic sites one cannot visit, and turn away unmoved.
