We’ve Arrived: Memphis, Tennessee

Hi family and friends!

After a long day of travel, we have arrived in Memphis, Tennessee and were warmly welcomed with some southern BBQ. To follow along on our civil rights immersion journey, we will be posting reflections and pictures here for those at home to engage with the experiences and connections we will make along the way.

Welcome to our journey.

We woke up today, eager and a little tired to start our first full day of our civil rights immersion in Memphis, Tennessee. Throughout the day we were graced with true southern hospitality, starting off with a panel hosted by the NAACP. The panel included board members of the NAACP, the executive director of the Memphis branch, attorneys that have represented the NAACP, and The Shelby County’s first women chief public defender. The discussion was focused around their campaign Voting is Power 901 – which is a campaign to increase the knowledge and turnout of voting. As well, the panelist provided a deeper look into the Shelby County Election Commission Lawsuit.

Following the panel, we went to the National Civil Rights Museum (NCRM), which is the first ever civil rights museum. The museum was created from the Lorraine Motel, the location where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4^th, 1968. The NCRM was rich with information which provided us with the proper mindset for the next few weeks. The NCRM was broken up into 39 exhibits that walked us through the timeline of major events of the civil rights movement.

 

After the Museum, we walked to the Clayborn Temple, where sanitation workers gathered to organize their strike. The sanitation workers strike for better working conditions and treatment. The strike gained momentum with the support of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As we explored the grounds of the temple today, we ran into Rosalyn Nichols, the operations director for the restoration project at Clayborn Temple and she invited us inside. She referred the temple as “ground zero” for the civil rights movement, because it is centered between the Mason Temple and Lorraine Motel. Thanks to her hospitality we were able to see the original beauty and structure of the temple and housed such significant history.

To wrap up the day, we headed over to the Mason Temple(The Church of God in Christ). When we were arrived, we were bummed to see it was closed down for the day but again found a welcoming community member, Darin Burns. As a member of the National Board of Trustees for the Church of God in Christ, he invited in and shared the history and importance of the Mason Temple, which is where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his last sermon “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” before he was assassinated. Being in the temple was a surreal experience, where we were able to feel the impact of the civil rights movement.

Thank you for joining us on our journey. We are excited to embark on the rest of our immersion and share our experience with you all.

With peace and love,

Rainey and Frankie

Co-coordinators