Where We Be
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| Civil Rights Museum -- Memphis, TN |
The National Civil Rights Museum is located at
the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King
was assassinated. A highlight of the visit was a
half-hour film documenting King’s final days in
Memphis, including his powerful “I’ve Been to
the Mountaintop” speech a day before he died
on April 4, 1968. The presentation was moving,
and it made clear how King himself expected to
die before reaching age 40 due to all the death
threats he had been receiving. He was 39
when he was assassinated.
We paid our respects at the place where King
was assassinated, just outside door #306
where he stood on the balcony of the motel
talking to his friends and supporters. We were
able to look into the room where he stayed,
then cross the street and see the room from
which the gunman, James Earl Ray, is said to
have shot him. This brought it all home in an
immediate and visceral way that would have
been impossible anywhere but right here at
the Lorraine Motel. We spent about 2½ hours
at the museum. Admission was $13 plus $2 for
the audio guide (definitely worthwhile in this
case as otherwise there was too much to read).
the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King
was assassinated. A highlight of the visit was a
half-hour film documenting King’s final days in
Memphis, including his powerful “I’ve Been to
the Mountaintop” speech a day before he died
on April 4, 1968. The presentation was moving,
and it made clear how King himself expected to
die before reaching age 40 due to all the death
threats he had been receiving. He was 39
when he was assassinated.
We paid our respects at the place where King
was assassinated, just outside door #306
where he stood on the balcony of the motel
talking to his friends and supporters. We were
able to look into the room where he stayed,
then cross the street and see the room from
which the gunman, James Earl Ray, is said to
have shot him. This brought it all home in an
immediate and visceral way that would have
been impossible anywhere but right here at
the Lorraine Motel. We spent about 2½ hours
at the museum. Admission was $13 plus $2 for
the audio guide (definitely worthwhile in this
case as otherwise there was too much to read).
| Martin Luther King was staying in Room #306, just to the left of the wreath. The wreath marks the spot where he was assassinated as he stood on the balcony talking to friends and supporters. The two cars are replicas of the ones that were parked outside his motel room on April 4, 1968. |
| Here you can see how the National Civil Rights Museum has been added on to the far end of the motel |
| Entrance to the museum |
| Excerpt from King's "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech |
| The Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated has been turned into the National Civil Rights Museum |
| Placards and multimedia exhibits tell the story of the fight for civil rights; we found the audio guide helpful here [Not my photo] |
| You can step aboard this recreation of the bus Rosa Parks rode upon when she refused to give up her seat [Not my photo] |