The Struggle Continues April 1, 2017
Our civil rights tour is coming to a close in Memphis. The National Civil Rights Museum, located here, is magnificent - much bigger and more extensive that we could have anticipated! THIS is the place to visit if you want the complete story of civil rights in this country, beginning with slavery and continuing up through the horrendous events of the 1960's, described earlier, but also including the March on Washington and MLK's "I have a dream" speech, the rise of black power, the 'black is beautiful' movement, the origins of the holiday known as Kwanzaa, the importance of the black musical tradition to the civil rights movement and the development of the blues and jazz. All in one place. That place happens to be the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King was killed as he stood on a balcony, having come to Memphis in support of better wages for sanitation workers. The museum is built around the motel.
The Lorraine Motel was one of the few motels where blacks could stay during segregation. The room where MLK was killed has a wreath on it. The cars in the parking lot were the same as those there that day.
We were at the museum for a whole day - with a break for lunch, and we still missed some of it! We are left with full heads and hearts and questions about what it all means for Bruce and Linda.
Brave students integrating schools.
Memphis, of course, has a rich musical tradition, which is clear everywhere in this city. The day after our visit to the civil rights museum, we headed downtown to Sun Studios, "birthplace of rock 'n' roll".
This is where Elvis, among others, first recorded a song and had been "discovered". A soft-spoken, passionate young singer told us all about Sun Studio. We left with a CD of the studio's greatest hits, featuring artists such as B.B. King, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and, of course, Elvis. There are other famous recording studios, such as Stax, which offer tours, but one was enough for yesterday.
Mural at Central BBQ.
The other thing that we had to do was to try some barbecue. Last week, when we told someone that we were headed for Memphis, we were immediately asked if we had chosen our barbecue spot yet! What? It was over a week away. That's how important barbecue is in these parts :)! Several folks suggested Central BBQ as the place to eat. Honestly, we hadn't been looking forward to it - too much greasy meat, but it seemed a necessary southern experience. Well, we are converts! We ate at the downtown Central BBQ yesterday and again today at the original location, close to our BnB! Two days in a row! Same meal! A slab of pork ribs, half with dry rub and half wet, with two sides: mac & cheese and cole slaw. We shared the order, and it was perfect. Oh, my! So delicious! Guess we'll have to add this guilty pleasure to our annual fried clams binge.
Central BBQ, an iconic spot in Memphis.
When traveling, Bruce and I like to stay open to serendipity. As we were headed out for a walk in our neighborhood today, we encountered a march. Everyone was wearing pink and yellow. As we got closer, we could see that most of the marchers were Black woman wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the words "Sista Strut". It turns out that they were walking to raise funds and awareness of breast cancer. The crowd just kept coming and coming (estimated at 5000!!) We couldn't see either end of the long line that filled the street on this beautiful spring day. Of course, I took photos. Many participants waved and said hello and a few invited us to join them. We did join in and had a great chat with a young woman who told us that breast cancer is unusually high among Black women, due to life style choices, poor diet, lack of exercise, etc. Thus the march. The whole experience was a gift in our day!
Participants in the Sista Strut walk to raise awareness of breast cancer.
We're staying in another cool Airbnb, located in the "hip" neighborhood known as Cooper-Young, in midtown Memphis. Our hosts are young professionals from out of town. Their home is in the bungalow-craftsman style that dominates the area.
Our Memphis Airbnb in Cooper-Young neighborhood.
Cooper-Young is another neighborhood that is racially mixed and being rejuvenated by young couples who are able to afford the house prices here. Nearby is a collection of great little restos, a cat shelter :), book stores, antique stores, a comic book store, etc. We're loving its walk-ability and cool vibes and great food.
Tomorrow we fly back to Maine. We hear that there will be snow, darn it! We're eager to get home anyway, snow or no snow! Our tour has left us with a deeper understanding of the sacrifices and courage of the civil rights movement and an awareness that, as a country, we are far from finished. The struggle obviously continues, which is part of what prompted this tour. Issues such as voter suppression, income inequality, mass incarceration of Blacks, poor schools, lack of respect, police brutality... all beg to be attended to.
Our civil rights tour is coming to a close in Memphis. The National Civil Rights Museum, located here, is magnificent - much bigger and more extensive that we could have anticipated! THIS is the place to visit if you want the complete story of civil rights in this country, beginning with slavery and continuing up through the horrendous events of the 1960's, described earlier, but also including the March on Washington and MLK's "I have a dream" speech, the rise of black power, the 'black is beautiful' movement, the origins of the holiday known as Kwanzaa, the importance of the black musical tradition to the civil rights movement and the development of the blues and jazz. All in one place. That place happens to be the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King was killed as he stood on a balcony, having come to Memphis in support of better wages for sanitation workers. The museum is built around the motel.
We were at the museum for a whole day - with a break for lunch, and we still missed some of it! We are left with full heads and hearts and questions about what it all means for Bruce and Linda.
Memphis, of course, has a rich musical tradition, which is clear everywhere in this city. The day after our visit to the civil rights museum, we headed downtown to Sun Studios, "birthplace of rock 'n' roll".
This is where Elvis, among others, first recorded a song and had been "discovered". A soft-spoken, passionate young singer told us all about Sun Studio. We left with a CD of the studio's greatest hits, featuring artists such as B.B. King, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and, of course, Elvis. There are other famous recording studios, such as Stax, which offer tours, but one was enough for yesterday.
The other thing that we had to do was to try some barbecue. Last week, when we told someone that we were headed for Memphis, we were immediately asked if we had chosen our barbecue spot yet! What? It was over a week away. That's how important barbecue is in these parts :)! Several folks suggested Central BBQ as the place to eat. Honestly, we hadn't been looking forward to it - too much greasy meat, but it seemed a necessary southern experience. Well, we are converts! We ate at the downtown Central BBQ yesterday and again today at the original location, close to our BnB! Two days in a row! Same meal! A slab of pork ribs, half with dry rub and half wet, with two sides: mac & cheese and cole slaw. We shared the order, and it was perfect. Oh, my! So delicious! Guess we'll have to add this guilty pleasure to our annual fried clams binge.
When traveling, Bruce and I like to stay open to serendipity. As we were headed out for a walk in our neighborhood today, we encountered a march. Everyone was wearing pink and yellow. As we got closer, we could see that most of the marchers were Black woman wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the words "Sista Strut". It turns out that they were walking to raise funds and awareness of breast cancer. The crowd just kept coming and coming (estimated at 5000!!) We couldn't see either end of the long line that filled the street on this beautiful spring day. Of course, I took photos. Many participants waved and said hello and a few invited us to join them. We did join in and had a great chat with a young woman who told us that breast cancer is unusually high among Black women, due to life style choices, poor diet, lack of exercise, etc. Thus the march. The whole experience was a gift in our day!
We're staying in another cool Airbnb, located in the "hip" neighborhood known as Cooper-Young, in midtown Memphis. Our hosts are young professionals from out of town. Their home is in the bungalow-craftsman style that dominates the area.
Cooper-Young is another neighborhood that is racially mixed and being rejuvenated by young couples who are able to afford the house prices here. Nearby is a collection of great little restos, a cat shelter :), book stores, antique stores, a comic book store, etc. We're loving its walk-ability and cool vibes and great food.
Tomorrow we fly back to Maine. We hear that there will be snow, darn it! We're eager to get home anyway, snow or no snow! Our tour has left us with a deeper understanding of the sacrifices and courage of the civil rights movement and an awareness that, as a country, we are far from finished. The struggle obviously continues, which is part of what prompted this tour. Issues such as voter suppression, income inequality, mass incarceration of Blacks, poor schools, lack of respect, police brutality... all beg to be attended to.
