The National Civil Rights Museum
2 min read
There is big news coming from the National Civil Rights Museum. If you aren’t familiar with the National Civil Rights Museum, it is in Memphis, Tennessee. The museum was created from the Lorraine Motel–where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated–and a few of the surrounding buildings. The motel was closed in 1988, and was re-opened as the museum in 1991. Following the assassination of King, which occurred April 4th, 1968, the room where King was staying had been left unoccupied as a memorial to King. Standing outside his motel room, 306, Martin Luther King was assassinated with a .30 bullet, fired from a Remington 760 Gamemaster.
So, the news.
Since the establishment of the museum, the balcony where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was standing, when he was assassinated, has been off limits.
But not any longer!
The National Civil Rights Museum is going to have major renovations and since portions of the museum will be closed for this, they are going to open the balcony to visitors.
Until recently, museum visitors could see the balcony — the museum is built around the two-story motel — but they couldn’t walk on it. When the new exhibit opens, visitors will be able to step onto the balcony, and there will also be a lift for disabled guests. [1]
How cool?!
I am very excited for this. There are those that camp out the night before a movie release, or the selling on the newest iPhone; how many camp out for history? On November 19th, I hope to be one of the first in line to step out onto the balcony. We will see–I hope that it doesn’t rain!
Additionally, I wrote a piece on a great history gift idea last week. I mentioned in this article that I received two newspapers from Historic Newspapers. The second of these papers was from April 5, 1968.
Although the other newspaper was much older, this one is better to me. It is one thing to have a newspaper that is decades old, but to have a paper with such a significant headline is amazing.
[1] LA Times: Museum to open site where Martin Luther King Jr. killed
Yes, wouldn’t it be great to stand where that MLK stood. You’ll stare down at the street, imagining what it might have been like. Let’s find out! This could be fun. You stand there on the balcony and I’ll “assassinate” you with my paintball gun. You can fall down and put on an Oscar-worthy performance of dying for several minutes. Meanwhile I’ll blow the smoke away from the muzzle of my pistola. What d’ya say?
Haha, that is a new low…even for you Cyclops Jack… I was referring more to standing on a spot the had such significant history. Not only did a great American die here, but this was a crucial tipping point in the civil rights movement.
Tipping point. Your words, not mine. What do you mean new low? The bar has already been lowered so far that James Cameron would need a million-dollar special submarine to go deep enough to even find out how low we’ve already sunk. Most people have absolutely no idea what MLK’s philosophy actually was. It’s certain that today’s “black leaders” don’t. You want to stand on the spot where MLK died and I bet you don’t even know what he stood for…
You want to stand on the spot where he died? If you’re like the vast majority, you don’t even know what he stood for.
Death is a necessary end for all of us. The truth however is that – NOBODY KNOWS TOMORROW AND NO ONE KNOWS WHERE THEY WILL DIE AND BE BURIED! But let us ensure that our Time, Talents and Resources are made available for the enhancement of our brothers and sisters (Children of God) in the global community.
A Descendant of the Amistad SAGA.