40 years ago in the evening around 6, I was at my home in Atlanta and I was in my den with my children who were younger, actually, I was sewing, I was making my daughter’s Easter dress and watching the evening news with Chet Huntley.  It was the Huntley –Brinkley report. Suddenly, there came an announcement, saying that we interrupt this news cast and Chet Huntly said that we just received word that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been shot in Memphis.  My bother was there to work with the garbage workers who were on strike protesting low wages.

Shortly after the announcement, Chet Huntley came back and said we confirm this report that Dr. King has been shot in Memphis and that it is critical.  When I heard the word critical, I knew that it was serious and immediately I went to the phone to call my sister-in-law, Coretta.  The line was busy, I called my parents, the line was busy and I repeated that several times, and I could get no one.

My husband came in and he had heard the news, “we will have to go to Coretta,” he said.   I said give me a few minutes to change clothes, he said we don’t have time, we have to go and I got the baby sitter for my children and we proceeded to Coretta’s home.  When I arrived at the home, Coretta was coming down the stairs with then Mayor Ivan Allen.  She said “I am on the way to airport, I got word that I should come to Memphis” and she asked that my husband and I go with her. Mayor Allen got into the car, too.  My husband said “you will have to go to Memphis,” and I said “I was not dressed,” and my husband said “you have to go with Coretta.”  I was careful of my appearance; I just had on a house dress.

When we arrived at the airport, my brother’s secretary, Dora McDonald met us and someone had already purchased airline tickets.  I immediately went to the telephone, trying to speak to my parents.  The line was still busy.  So Dora summoned Coretta and took her down the hall to the ladies room. I followed and as soon as we got into the ladies room, someone came and knocked on the door and entered. It was Mayor Allen.  It was then that he informed my sister-in-law that Dr. King had died in Memphis.  What a striking blow. After a few moments, Coretta said, I had to go back home to my children, so we didn’t go to Memphis that evening.  And they carried us back to the house.  When we got there, the children came to the door,  the first was Yolanda, and Coretta was trying to explain things to them and everyone was moving to where the TV was because Lyndon Johnson was about to make an announcement.  And I recall him saying that this is a ‘sad time for all people, we have learned that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been killed in Memphis.’ And the rest is history. 

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