USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -On April 4, 1968, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated here at the Lorraine Motel, just a day after delivering his prophetic “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech at the Mason Temple Church of God in Christ.

Detailed explanation-2: -A Note From the Dramaturg: MLK was staying at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. The motel was known as a haven for African-Americans (many hotels were for whites only) and King had stayed at the hotel on numerous occasions. King stayed in room 306, where our drama takes place.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Lorraine Motel was forever etched in America’s collective memory with the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, but even before that fateful day, the property at 450 Mulberry Street had a fascinating history in its own right.

Detailed explanation-4: -King was in the city to speak on his growing Poor People’s Campaign, and to support an economic protest by Black sanitation workers. About two months earlier, 1, 300 African American Memphis sanitation workers began a strike to protest low pay and poor treatment.