Mephis Episode 3 (Remembering M.L.K. Jr.)

by A.man.i
I make it a habit to watch the local news whenever I'm visiting a city, and the Memphis trip was no different. I have tendency to watch Fox, since I worked for an O&O for eight years. Fox owned stations are now in the process of revamping their logos and creating a homogeneous look across the country. The Memphis station, like the station I worked for in Tampa are both Fox 13, and other than different faces on-air, the look is exactly the same.

When I changed channels, I was surprised to see a familiar face anchoring the morning news show - Terrance Bates. Terrence and I go way back. I met him in the late 90's (I want to say 1998) at a RTNDA conference. I was working as an assignment editor at WJLA-TV in Washington D.C., and he was already reporting at a small market in Texas. We've bumped into each other occasionally over the years, so I called him up, and it was on. It's always good to know a local, and even better to know someone in news. After a morning of shooting interviews at the Media Reform conference, I decided to find something to eat on Beal Street. Bates picked me up after I finished eating to give me a tour of the city.

Our first stop was the National Civil Rights Museum, which was built at the motel where King was killed back in 1968. It was the Friday before King's birthday weekend which is a very big deal in the city. The folks there were kind enough to let me bring my camera inside since I work for Black Family Channel. I explained that I was also a video blogger, and they said it was okay. As we toured inside, a large group of students gathered outside. They were on a civil rights tour called Sojourn To The Past.

It was a very moving experience.
Watch below.

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