National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel

Built around (and incorporating) the former Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee is both a showcase of the civil rights movement in the United States and a profound historic site.

A wreath on the 2nd story of the former Lorraine Motel marks the location where MLK was fatally shot on April 4, 1968 out front of room 306. Down to the placement of the vintage cars out front of the motel, it is like standing inside a historic photograph. The National Civil Rights Museum does an excellent job of bridging the history of the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy, and modern day themes that still resonate in discussion today. 

My visit to the Lorraine Motel in Memphis had me reflecting on several other linked experiences, like seeing Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthplace and church in Atlanta, Georgia or sitting on the same bus as Rosa Parks at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Visiting places like this can be heavy and sobering experiences, however they are also reminders to always look for those who are doing good. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." 

The spot where MLK was shot at the Lorraine Motel.

Room 306.