Civil Rights Museum: The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

A wreath marks the spot where Martin Luther King Jr was killed in April of 1968. The two cars are like the ones that were parked at the hotel that night. This is part of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tenn. Photo by Jordan

Martin Luther King Jr. fought for racial justice and ended up being killed in the struggle. Who really killed him? Was the FBI involved in a plot? Was he really a womanizer or was that just propaganda? A trip to the National Civil Rights Museum adds detail to these questions.

King speaking to reporters in the 1960s.

On Martin Luther King Jr. day I was reminded of a trip last year to the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. This is an updated version of a story I wrote back in April.

Outside the museum, a wreath hangs on the door of the room where Martin Luther King Jr was staying on the night he was killed. Two white cars parked by the hotel as they were that night. It was a chilly day in Memphis back in 1968.

It is hard to imagine a world of segregation. Black people had to sit in the back of the bus. They had to use certain…