Canes Visit Lorraine Motel where MLK, Jr. was Assassinated
Nov. 26, 2011
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – On Saturday, the University of Miami men’s basketball team visited the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. The building is now attached to the National Civil Rights Museum.
“I was there when I was in middle school, so it was interesting to go back again,” said Erik Swoope, who has been studying the incident in his African American studies class at Miami. “It’s shocking to see how easy it all happened. When I went through the museum, it showed how everything developed. It’s mind-blowing that something like that happened to him when he was focused on doing everything in a peaceful way. It was a very sad time.”
Miami stayed in Memphis after Friday’s game at Ole Miss. The players and staff made an early pit stop to visit the motel on their way to the airport, receiving a quick history lesson on its way to West Lafayette, Ind., for a Tuesday matchup with Purdue.
“It meant a lot to me and to the team to be there because of the history,” said Garrius Adams. “It was great to see in person for the first time. I especially liked the quotes from Martin Luther King on the plaques around the hotel and just seeing where history happened.”
Click here for a photo album of the Canes at the Lorraine Motel.
