*as seen in North Canton Living Magazine
I pulled into the parking lot confused. It was clearly a hotel yet the sign said “National Civil Right Museum.” I was visiting on an earnest recommendation. The twisty streets of Memphis had turned me around on the rather blustery January day. As I approached the building, understanding dawned. This was the hotel where Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated. I tried to swallow past the lump that formed in my throat.
The National Civil Rights Museum exhibits begin with the first slaves at Jamestown and continue to the present day. Each exhibit circling through history covering everything from economic impact to the political and social change of today. The entrance is a modern building with a large lobby and seasonal rotating exhibits. You begin your museum journey with an eye-opening exhibit on slavery and an emphasis on its economic impact.
I was fortunate as the crowd was light. I could linger trying to process the extensive amount of information. I wound my way through the sit-ins, Freedom Bus Riders, Montgomery bus boycott and more. The exhibits are presented chronologically with each building on the one before.
As I approached the hotel portion, I was privileged to hear several of King’s speeches including the speech given the day before he died. By the end, as I stood in the hallway outside of the hotel room where MLK was shot, I was in tears.
I am not in Memphis for long. Passing through only. But this stop is well worth the admission and a few hours given. I am putting Memphis on my list to visit again. I would like to see live blues and perhaps visit Graceland. But for now, I am going to try and process a museum that should be mandatory for all politicians, judges and law enforcement.
What I Learned
I found a plaque memorializing Viola Liuzzo. Liuzzo was a white mother of five from Detroit who drove to Alabama for the march from Selma to Montgomery. She was shot by a group of klansmen as she ferried marchers between Montgomery and Selma.
During the same march, in the City of St Jude, a Catholic complex on the outskirts of Montgomery, was the final march campsite. That night on a makeshift stage, a rally occurred featuring singers Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennet, Peter, Paul and Mary and Nina Simone.
“If you can’t vote, then you’re a slave.” Reverend Hosea Williams
“Break their spirit, not their bones.” Governor Ross Barnett’s instructions to the warden at Parchman Prison where Freedom Riders were held.
Most of all, I learned that I don’t know enough. That I need to be open to learn more and not look away.
When You Go
The National Civil Rights Museum is located in downtown Memphis. They are open six days a week all year long. Give yourself a minimum of three to four hours to visit. Wear comfortable shoes as the exhibit are lengthy and were was a shortage of benches. It is handicapped accessible and could be navigated by a wheelchair or cane. They do a thorough security screening upon entry.
The museum is not far from the Mississippi River and across the street from the Blues Hall of Fame Museum. The Orpheum Theater is only a few blocks away. The Children’s Museum of Memphis is ten minutes away on the east side of Memphis. Graceland is only twenty minutes on the south side of Memphis.
Memphis is a great place to visit during the winter, spring or fall. I visited a few days before MLK day in January. The weather was blustery but think April in NE Ohio blustery. It is also only an hour from Little Rock, Arkansas and Hot Springs National Park. Summer in Memphis is quite humid, hot and buggy.
If you like jazz, Memphis is the place to visit. Multiple venues feature jazz and blues performers in unique venues spread across the city.