After driving 2021 miles and conducting many interviews, one place continues to stand

out to me.

That place is the iconic Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

Most people will forever and rightly associate the Motel with the assassination of Dr. Martin

Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968.

However, the Motel is also noteworthy because it stands out as a microcosm of the incredible

social, historical, and entrepreneurial contributions black Americans made that were captured in

the pages of the Negro Motorist Green Book.

Over the many years that the Lorraine Motel advertised in the Green Book, it evolved and

became a local and national destination and survived urban renewal pretty much intact.

Indeed, the full history of the Motel and its founders reflects the complex story of America.

During our visit to Memphis, my producer, Gene Wood's Weber and I met with Dr. Noel Trent,

the Director of Interpretation, Collections and Education at the National Civil Rights

Museum, which is located at the Motel.

The emotions I felt visiting the Lorraine ranged from immense reverence to profound grief

and sadness.

As we toured the site with Dr. Trent, she unraveled some of the Motels complicated history for

us with some delightful as well as some somber details.

We are located in the historic Lorraine Motel.

This is the location where Dr. King was assassinated at 6.01 pm on April 4, 1968, but we are also

so much more than that.

We are a historically African-American hotel that was owned by Walter and Lori Bailey.

...