I must admit that today was the sole reason our group made the lengthy two-day journey across Tennessee. My wife, Molly, and I lived in Oxford, Mississippi for two years in the early 1990s and made frequent trips to Memphis. It never disappointed then and certainly did not today.
We arrived at mid-day and toured the National Civil Rights Museum located downtown at the site of the Lorraine Motel (the very place where Martin Luther King, Jr. was tragically assassinated on April 4, 1968). The museum takes a broad view of civil rights history and walks the patron from the Jamestown colony in 1619 to King's death (with revolving exhibits that examine world-wide efforts to secure civil rights). Across the plaza, a museum dedicated to the assassination now exists. It was chilling to walk in the flop house room and shared bath where James Earl Ray carried out his plot to kill Dr. King.
The late afternoon hours were spent at the Stax Records Museum...an unexpected treat. The museum has been in operation for six years and carries itself as one of the high class destinations for soul music experts and history buffs alike. Students and chaperones found themselves almost uncontrollably tapping toes, clapping hands, singing along, and even occasionally shaking a booty or two. All while not missing the significance of music and Stax to the era of the Civil Rights Movement and positive race relations in general.
Looking back, I would not have changed the trip and miss the opportunity to see Memphis. It was well worth the trouble. I hope to find that the students agree.
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