On our way through Little Rock we saw signs for a museum at Central High School, where in 1957 the Arkansas governor attempted to block African American students from entering, and President Eisenhower sent federal troops to facilitate integration. We didn’t stop but learned more about the story in Memphis, at the National Museum of the Civil Rights Movement. This museum was built at and around the site of the Lorraine Hotel, a place of terrible significance but one where you can experience the past and feel tensions mount and erupt. James Earl Ray assassinated Martin Luther King, Jr. there as he came onto the balcony of room 306 on April 4, 1968. A visit to this museum presents the lives of individuals who would not tolerate continued discriminations and who forged from events across dozens of American cities a case and formed a voice that was finally heard by the American government. However, Martin Luther King, Jr. said that executing a law was easy but enforcing it was difficult. Many of the exhibits depict violent opposition, trickery, and intimidation tactics, all used to suppress a gathering consensus and a growing demand for equality. Perhaps James Earl Ray intended to end the Movement along with Reverend King’s life, but this did not happen. The museum does an excellent job of showing how nonviolent protest effectively uses the violence of its opposition to vilify and make untenable continued resistance to change. Martin Luther King, Jr. advocated nonviolent protest after studying the life and struggles of Mahatma Gandhi.
My brother Michel and his family live north of Nashville, near the Kentucky border. We spent two nights and a full day with them and shared stories, ate together, and caught up. Michel, his wife Tammy, and daughters Shelby and Paige live at the top of a hill surrounded by a couple of acres of forest, where their two dogs go nuts and the girls can play. It was great to see them so happy.
We drove through Alabama and reached Tallahassee, Florida, on the day of their annual winter holiday celebration. Little girls sang and danced while musicians presented collections of handbell music, choral versions of Christmas classics, and Rock and Roll. Fake snow flurried from roof tops as we walked through vaulting lights and listened to carols while sipping hot chocolate. We picked a good day to come to town!
Now we are in Orlando and will go in a few minutes to the Magic Kingdom. We have spent the last two days at Animal Kingdom, MGM, and Epcot. I love Epcot Center because it allows you to walk around the world in less than two miles. Pretty cool. Well, have a great day!
