On this day in 1968, just a few days before my 5th birthday. I was a student at Rozelle Elementary in Memphis, TN. I remember watching the news with my family and hearing the shocking news of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s death. I remember the National Guard patrolling our neighborhood. It was a frightening time in our city.

I remember the Sanitation Workers Strike. And what it meant to our city. Having to burn thrash in metal thrash cans in our back yards. I remember the boycotts of not riding the city buses, and not shopping in certain stores. But Sears & Roebuck in crosstown was one of the few stores that allowed black families to shop without prestigious.

I remember Black Monday’s, we did not attend school on those days after the assignation of Dr. King.

Parents, talk to your children about what this day in time means, especially moving forward and making a change in our society.

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