We started our first day in Memphis at the National Civil Rights Museum.
This activity had not been on my original plan since I am not a huge fan of museums. However, some ladies we met in Nashville had highly recommended it, so we decided to trust them.
I’m so glad we did.
The museum is part of the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
However, the museum is not solely about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is a fairly detailed recounting of the African American struggle for equality from the early days of slavery in the 1700s all the way until the 1970s.
It was incredibly moving and informative. As I was making my way through the exhibits, I marveled at the strength, persistence, incredible courage, and resiliency demonstrated by African Americans in this country as they have fought for basic human and civil rights.
And I couldn’t help thinking about what it could teach me as I struggle to oppose the destruction of human and civil rights by the Trump Administration.
I learned that violence is not necessary to effect change.
I also learned that it is important to hold true to my values and not let an unjust, immoral system keep me from doing what is right.
I also learned that there is power in numbers.
On the advice of someone we met earlier today, we gave ourselves about 4 hours to go through the museum. We needed every minute.
One of the last exhibits in the museum was the original room where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr stayed the night he was assassinated. It was eerie to look over the balcony where he was standing when he was shot.
Sun Studio
After touring the National Civil Rights Museum, we headed to Sun Studio for a tour.
This studio tour was similar to the Studio B tour that we took in Nashville.
In fact, we heard the same story about Elvis Presley’s first studio recording session, which prompted me to ask our tour guide which studio that event had actually taken place in. He assured me that it occurred here, not Nashville, and I believed him.
Apparently, Sun Studio is still in operation today. Our tour guide is one of the musicians, and he named some of the famous musicians who have recorded in the studio within the last few years. Pretty cool.
Meanderings & Mind Munchies 