MLK and Molé

After spending that last couple of weeks settling back into Oxford and catching up with our MS friends, Abby and I decided that we needed to take at least one little trip before school starts up for me. Given that this weekend is the MLK holiday weekend, we thought that a trip to National Civil Rights Museum (NCRM) in Memphis was in order. We made the drive up on Saturday and had a really nice time at the NCRM.

Half of the NCRM is actually in the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. The other half is in the motel across the street where James Earl Ray fired the shots. We spent most of our time in the Lorraine Motel section, which focused on the history of black America from slave days up until MLK assassination.

There are too many interesting exhibits for me to recount them all, but one of particular interest to Abby and me was the section that focused on James Meredith, the first black student to register at Ole Miss. This all came to ahead in 1962 when federal troops and agents had to forcibly allow Meredith to register against the protests of the governor and an angry mob. Two people were killed in the skirmish.

What struck me so much about this was that it was less than 50 years ago! Everyone wants to act as though the racism at Ole Miss is ancient history, but this is simply false. Ole Miss has come a long way but still has a long way to go concerning race relations.

The other thing that stuck with me from the day was the vision of MLK. He wasn't simply someone who saw the Civil Rights Movement as a movement of blacks to gain more rights in America. He was able to see the implications of this movement. He saw how the issues in the Civil Rights Movement were the same issues that disenfranchised people faced throughout the world, whether they were blacks, those living in poverty, or innocent Vietnamese citizens. He drew his philosophy from Jesus Christ and Mahatma Ghandi. But at the same time he was able to understand and become involved in a single incident, like unfair wages for sanitation workers. He was very incredible man.

After looking through the Lorraine Motel part of the museum we headed over to the second part of the museum across the street. This focused on MLK's actual assassination and civil rights since his death. I was amazed at how much controversy still surrounds the circumstances of his death; they never taught that in grade school!

After the museum we headed to a Mexican restaurant we found via my new GPS (thanks Mom & Dad!). It was a cool setting, but I made the mistake of ordering molé sauce on my dish, which I discovered I do not like at all. Anyway, it was a great trip and I recommend anyone in Memphis with some free time check out the NCRM.

Classes start for me on Wednesday and Abby is gearing up for a new semester at the Student Athlete Academic Support Center. She is hoping to hear about a full-time job she applied for at the center very soon! We will update you as soon as we know more!