Today was the culmination of the Civil Rights Tour, ending in Memphis and a visit to the site where Dr. King was assassinated that fateful day on April 4, 1968.
As our tour group packed up the bus and prepared to leave the hotel where we stayed after arriving in Memphis the night before, I noticed I was one of only two people out of the 50-some members of our group not wearing the Civil Rights Tour T-shirt that leader Napoleon Bell passed out last night. This oversight on my part was probably due to the sense of "individuality that is seared into my bones," to paraphrase Richard Wright.
After a quick dash to change in my room (thank God I didn't turn in my key right away), we set out for the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel.
Visiting this sprawling complex tied together everything our tour group had learned up to that point. The center features exhibits on the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Freedom Rides, school desegregation and the Bloody Sunday voting rights march in 1965.
I was overcome with emotion when I entered a room where King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech was broadcast on a large screen alongside artifacts from the March on Washington.
Though I've seen excerpts from the speech countless times over the years, seeing it in the site where King died made his eloquent words all the more profound.
The most moving part of the Lorraine Motel experience is, of course, visiting rooms 306 and 307, where King and other civil rights leaders stayed while in town to lend their support to striking sanitation workers.
The rooms have been preserved exactly as they were when King was killed. Across the street is another section of the museum where visitors can see the room where assassin James Earl Ray fired the fatal shot that claimed King's life.
Upon leaving the museum, I walked through Founders Park, which has banners bearing the images of King, Rosa Parks, Shirley Chisholm and other icons emblazoned with the phrase, "They Changed History."
Our group then broke for lunch and I ventured out in search of authentic Memphis grub. I ended up eating at the historic Arcade Restaurant, a vintage diner that has been the site of several movie shoots, according to a large plaque outside the business.
I sat at the counter, inspired by all I've learned in the past few days about lunch counter sit-ins. The difference between my experience and civil rights demonstrators was, of course, that I received excellent service without incident.
I considered ordering one of Elvis' favorite Southern treats, a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich, but opted for a simple hamburger instead.
As I write this post, our tour group is back on the bus, headed home to Columbus, Ohio. This trip has really been a transformative experience.
Learning about the civil rights movement in school, it seemed like ancient history. But seeing so many civil rights landmarks with my own eyes over the past few days has really made the struggle seem real to me.
And it's given me a greater appreciation for those who blazed the trail on which we all now walk.
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