- David Plazas is the Director of Opinion and Engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee.
One of the most impressive experiences while walking through the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel is getting closer to the room where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived before he was assassinated.
One recording plays gospel legend Mahalia Jackson singing “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” and somberly leads visitors to absorb the scene and reflect on the horror that occurred on April 4, 1968.
The murder ravaged the soul of the nation and effectively closed downtown Memphis for years.
Thirty years ago, the motel became a museum, reminding not only of King’s legacy, but of the many civil rights heroes from Rosa Parks to the plumbing workers in Memphis with posters saying “I am a man.”
In this anniversary year, the museum’s new president, Russell Wigginton, seeks to raise the profile of the venue to address and discuss the civil rights challenges facing the United States today.
On this episode of the Tennessee Voices podcast, Wigginton talked about race relations, George Floyd, the history class, and what it means to “do the job.”
Over the past 18 months he has found time to read more about the work of Langston Hughes, and he encourages citizens to read King’s 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail to get a feel for who he was and what he was about believed.
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The Tennessee Voices Videocast is a 20-minute program that began in March 2020 and invites executives, thinkers, and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.
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David Plazas is Director of Opinion and Engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and a member of The Tennessean’s Editorial Board. Tweet him at @davidplazas.
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