YEE HAW!: GREEN GIRL GONE SOUTH
Green Girls, I had one of the most extraordinary weeks of my life to date. I traveled to Memphis, Tennessee for the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The whole city was bursting from events in various historical locales around town from April 1 through 6 - including the National Civil Rights Museum downtown Memphis. You couldn’t turn on the television without seeing coverage of it this past Friday.
I’d never before been to the south and from the minute I landed, I felt like Dorothy in Oz. Flying over Memphis before landing I immediately noticed how lush and green the landscape was with the rich red earth and winding Mississippi river snaking through the city. I think I felt the gravity of history in the air the minute I landed. Most astonishing were the people, however. People actually make eye contact and address you or greet you in whatever situation. I’ve never before had more people ask me how I was doing or say “pardon” me or “thank you,” call me “m’aam” or say “you have a nice day, now” in my life. Don’t get me wrong…people in Los Angeles or any other city have their own customs or traditions; for sure…it’s just interesting. In L.A., for example, direct eye contact is usually considered rude or “staring” or something like that. :D
So there I was in Memphis – or the “dirty south” as locals call it - and shortly after I landed, I
started to map out how I would eat my way through the city. I’m a pseudo, quazi-vegetarian who slips every now and then when the call of a good steak beckons, but for the most part I keep it pretty California cuisine. I knew that all bets were off as I walked down Main Street – a quaint, trolley lined avenue – because I could actually smell gumbo and frying catfish amidst the “Food Like Your Momma Makes” signs in every café window. My hotel was adjacent to the famous Beale Street and you could hear blues and smell wafts of BBQ in the distance. It’s just too much – I think even a devout vegan would’ve thrown 
down some southern eats stat, as well. How could you not? First meal I ate was from Blues City Café on Beale Street after polling people on the street where I should get some Q. Everybody has an opinion and although I’m sure they get tourists asking “Where’s the best BBQ around here?” all the time, I still think it’s a subject of great pride that they never tire of answering. After my meat feast and a quick nap, I headed to the National Civil Rights Museum to take a tour and soak in some history – and man-o-man did I.
“Eating & Weeping My Way Through Memphis” should have been the title of this blog. The National Civil Rights Museum (NCRM) was the first institution of its kind and size in the country to chronicle key
episodes of the American civil rights movement in exhibit form. What makes the museum so uniquely singular is that the museum’s campus surrounds the actual Lorraine Motel, where Dr. King was assassinated. Did you know that more that half of the people in America today were born after 1970 and have little knowledge of the movement that made the freedoms they now enjoy possible? Most of the history found at the living exhibits at NCRM are not found in textbooks. WHUH? Yes, m’aam.
The 40th anniversary events are to celebrate the life and legacy – not the death of Dr. King – because his spirit lives on and his message is truly enduring. The museum’s exhibits illustrate the civil rights struggle from 1690 in colonial America through present day with visuals, sounds, film, photography and text. They give insight into legal milestones in the arena of civil rights that you’ve heard once or twice in school during black history month but perhaps have never thought about in terms of their implication. These include Brown v Board of Education 1954, Voting Rights act of 1965, Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the passage of Title IX 1972, Fair Share Program of 1981, Lau v Nichols 1974, the American Disability Act 1990 and more – all of which fought to guarantee basic rights like the right to equal education, access to voting, banning discrimination based on color and gender, protection against discrimination fro a wide range of people (those who are sight/hearing impaired, physically challenged, have HIV/AIDS or cancer). The most overwhelming message I got is that the civil rights movement isn’t a black or white thing, it’s an
American thing and so embodies the true spirit of what we hold to be true and self-evident. It’s a shame it’s only marginally mentioned in textbooks or solely in Black History month in February. It’s not only an American thing, but a global thing – based on principles of non-violence. Hello Gandhi? Stay tuned – I did a little research on environmental racism that you may be interested in. More coming in a later blog.
What struck me the most, however, is how very young most of the civil rights leaders or icons were. For example, in the ‘60s an organization called the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC (pronounced "snick"), was created on the campus of Shaw University in Raleigh to coordinate sit-ins, support their leaders, and publicize their activities. Not to mention that Dr. King was only 39 when he was assassinated and was, at the time the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner at only 34.
On April 4th, I found myself standing in the crowd of thousands in the courtyard in front of the Lorraine Motel 40 years after Dr. King was shot. It couldn’t have rained harder and I couldn’t have been more cold and wet. Many in the crowd remarked that they can’t remember the last time it rained on April 4th and they think the last time it did was in 1968. I came by myself, knew not a soul and was shoulder to shoulder with strangers – or so I thought.
The finale of the week’s events consisted of a wreath ceremony at the sight of Dr. King’s
assassination. Prior to the ceremony, Both Hilary Clinton and John McCain (through a crowd of “boos”) placed wreaths on the balcony (secret service circling the roof overhead) and said a few words about Dr. King’s legacy – as well as stumped for themselves a bit, natch (Obama was conspicuously missing). Al Sharpton, joined by Martin Luther King III, and the National Action Network group led a “Recommitment March” from the Memphis City Hall, commemorating the Sanitation workers who marched, to the Lorraine Hotel mirroring events more than 40 years ago. I happened to be standing in their path and a gentleman who drove 5 hours from Alabama, a rep from the Retail, Wholesal and Department Store Union, pulled me out of the way just seconds before they swiflty cut through the crowd. Immediately afterwards, the ceremony proper began with a moving gospel number and I swear you could hear a pin drop, followed by the most incredible and motivating speech I’ve ever heard from Reverend C.T. Vivian – a living legend of the civil rights movement.
The speakers encouraged us all to join hands, look to our left and recommit to engaging in the civil rights movement and making it vaild TODAY. We all held hands throughout the ceremony and I instantly felt like I gained hundreds of new friends who were all like-minded in our connection to the moment. I’m crying as I type this…truly moving. On the balcony were Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton and Dr. King’s surviving children who gave the last remarks and released a dove. I don’t know how much all of you saw from CNN coverage, but I personally saw and felt something that you couldn’t have on TV, which was renewed hope and a reinvigorated spirit. I think everyone there at this milestone event would agree with me in that the key is how to take that commitment and feeling with us back home. It's been 40 years since Dr. King's been gone and how much has changed really? A lot has, but much hasn't. Luckily, I made some new friends from the crowd and we’re all going to keep in touch and continue to inspire each other.
Didn’t mean to get too heavy on you, Green Girls…I’ve just never experienced anything like that, been
a part of so much history nor been in a place so welcoming and where everyone is so connected to each other. So I ended my day by eating, of course. I decided to check out Arcade, the oldest café in Memphis and I was certainly not disappointed. I did think I O.D.’d on meat products, so I ordered the “Four Veggie” plate. Those of you from the south are laughing your arses off right now…but for the rest of you, the definition of “veggies” is slightly different down south. Don’t get me wrong, it was the best meal I had in Memphis but I do feel the need for an angioplasty. It consisted of: Fried corn in a “creamed corn” sauce, well-cooked broccoli smothered in cheese sauce, mashed potatoes and country gravy and Maytag green beans and collard greens in buttah. On the side came two small samplings of banana pudding (totally a religious experience), peach cobbler and 
hot corn biscuits with what else…buttah. I was wet and cold but that was replaced by full and warm pretty darn quick. And if I wasn’t already aglow with sentiment from the wreath ceremony and the banana pudding, my umbrella broke in the heavy rain and wind and I was soaked in the wet, heavy Memphis rain. The restaurant owner noticed by crumpled umbrella and insisted I take his. Couldn’t you just cry?!
I waddled back to my hotel while thinking that I’ll be damned if I’m going back to Hell-Ay without a
green vegetable sans buttah, so I made an executive decision to have a green veggie I knew they’d have back at the hotel bar…green olives, as in “an extra icy Belvedere martini, dry, up, two olives, please.” I figured if I was already polluted from buttah and pork I may as well finish myself off with a serious cocktail, right? As a I reflected on my day, a group of people sidled into the lobby bar and proceeded to do what everyone in the south does – watch sports. I seriously don’t think they have any other channel than ESPN.
The bar quickly filled up with what seemed like NBA players and coaches - unbeknownst to me a huge sports event in Mephis happening, as well - and I found myself the only chick at the bar – which always makes me nervous. Luckily, the best bartender in the south, Austin, filled me in that they were mostly coaches and trainers from the Golden State Warriors. One of the coaches overheard our conversation and how much of a sports rube I was and gave me some quick stats. His name is Stephen
Silas, Assistant Coach to the Warriors, and quite possibly the nicest, smartest guy ever. He asked me about my stay in Memphis and I told him I loved it, except for how some guy thought I was a hooker on Beale Street. He laughed and asked what happened. I simply told him that I was walking to Blues City BBQ to pick up some dinner and a guy stopped me and say, “You looking for a date?” Several of the coaches, including Stephen, started laughing hysterically and said that he was just "hollering at me” and that if he thought I was a hooker, he would’ve said “how much?” Oh. Well, I guess things are a little different from L.A. then:D In any case, I’ve never rooted for a sports team before…but I’m now, proudly, a Warriors FAN.
Overall, I learned a few key things. One, when traveling outside of Los Angeles, take shoes other than flip flops, pork is considered a vegetable in the south, when you’re in the south your automatically welcomed “home,” everyone thinks your skinny there and most importantly, in order to understand history you need to get yourself down south, know the people and realize this is an important place in American history – and in my heart now, as well. So tell the story and pass it on! Yee haw!...and can I get an AMEN! You know what to do! I'd love to hear about anyone who was in Memphis last week. Share your thoughts!
If green is the new black, shouldn't you know what you're wearing?
