Visiting the National Civil Rights Museum

After Christmas is said and done most people immediately turn their attention to Valentine's Day. You see it all over the stores. Hearts and candy everywhere. Somewhere in the midst of all our celebrating we seem to overlook some very important times in our country's history-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday and Black History Month. When thinking about Dr. King and Black History Month, I immediately thought of the National Civil Rights Museum. After all, when you grow up in Memphis, TN(the place of Dr. King's death) you can hardly not think of it.

A couple of years ago I had the honor of being able to visit the National Civil Rights museum with a group from my church. I can truly say that it was a life-changing experience for me. Growing up as a Caucasian in America, sometimes we overlook the great strides that were taken to bring equality to this country.

As we arrived at the museum, which is housed in the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was killed, you can see the balcony where he was shot. The vehicles of that day are displayed out side the museum. A brief glance across the street and you will see the Young and Marrow building where James Earl Ray fired that fatal shot. All of these sights are almost overwhelming as you imagine what it must have been like on that day.

As we went inside the museum, we were all given headsets to wear as we toured the exhibit. As you enter the beginning of the exhibit, it is almost like you are being transported through time. The sounds of the civil rights movement and the display of its time are almost haunting. How could our country have ever been this way?

For more than two hours we looked and listened as history unfolded. We learned of the Civil War and the early slave revolts. We learned of Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Sojourner Truth as well as many other early pioneers of this movement.

I cried as I walked the halls of this historic place and read of how African Americans were treated. We learned of Black Crow laws, the KKK, and unfair treatment. One of the events that stuck out to me was when nine black students were allowed to attend the then all white school, Central High School, in Little Rock, AR.

And who can forget the brave act of Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat on a bus. This event sparked the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 and thrust Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to the forefront of the civil rights movement. From sit-ins, to the freedom riders all of the events of the civil rights movement unfolded for me that day.

Then we came to the part of the exhibit that hit home the most, the sanitation strike in Memphis, TN. In this part of the exhibit we learned of two African American workers who were crushed as they tried to escape the heavy rain and wage differences between white and African American employees.

Dr. King flew into Memphis on April 3rd after hearing of a peaceful demonstration that had turned into a riot. He planned to hold a peaceful march on April 8th. This march would never come to be. The next day Dr. King was assassinated.

On display in the National Civil Rights Museum is the room that Dr. King was staying at the time of his death. Also, since the expansion of the museum in 2002, you can see the states evidence against James Earl Ray and the room where the fatal shot was fired from. This part of the museum also explores how far we have come since the death of Dr. King. It talks of how far we've come and where we must go to see Dr. King's dream completely come into reality.

So, if you are planning a trip to the Memphis area in the future, consider visiting the National Civil Rights Museum. It will truly be an eye-opening experience. If you are not able to come see the exhibit for yourself, consider reading the rich history and view the pictures from the gallery on the museum's website. For more information on the National Civil Rights Museum go to www.civilrightsmuseum.org.