Memphis is often hailed as the birthplace of blues and barbecue, but it offers much more. With over 64% of its population identifying as Black , culture is alive and thriving in “Bluff City.” The Lorraine Motel — one of the most significant monuments in Memphis — is engraved in history as the location where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Once known as the Marquette Hotel, it was one of the few Black-owned establishments safe for people of color to patronize during the Jim Crow era. Although the hotel is home to one of the most dreadful moments of the Civil Rights Movement, it now houses the National Civil Rights Museum , where its progress is honored. “The idea for Memphis to create the National Civil Rights Museum at the site of Dr. King’s assassination was intended to bridge that gap, educate the world on the importance of the story, and reconcile the city,” Ryan M. Jones, the National Civil Rights Museum’s associate curator, told Blavity. According to...
