April 4, 1968

A couple of years ago, I was in Memphis, Tenn. for a week for work. It was my first time there and, although I was there on company time, I wanted to use some of my down time that week to do some sightseeing. So I did. I stayed in the heart of downtown, so I was in walking distance to the world famous Beale Street. I was able to eat at B.B. King's Blues Club, tour the FEDEX Forum and go to the Pyramid.

While I thoroughly enjoyed visiting these landmarks and getting a feel for the essence of Memphis, it wasn't my ultimate destination.

I wanted to see the Civil Rights Museum.

The museum was built in connection with the historic Lorraine Motel, where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. On the outside, it was nothing special. A bit run down. Sub-par landscpaing. But for about the next hour or so I spent inside, it was perhaps one of the most powerful experiences I've ever had. You hear stories of what it was like back in the day. You read. You're taught. But, there is much more to the story. To see the life-like exhibits of what it was like to be lynched. To sit at a a makeshift counter simulating sit-ins and to sit on a replica of the bus Rosa Parks sat in, puts things in perspective. To see where Dr. King lost his life is beyone words.

Yes, we've come along way, yet there is a long way to go. I would suggest to anyone who has never been to the museum to consider that as a vacation destination. It is an experience you'll never forget.

So, on this day, 39 years after Dr. King was killed because he sacrificed to make my life better, my heart is heavy. Yet, looking back, I'm filled with joy because if it wasn't for him, who knows how my life, and many others like me, would be.

RIP