National Civil Rights Museum draws thousands for MLK Day celebration

For Alan Williams and 14-year-old Alan Louis Williams, this holiday weekend meant a special father and son trip.

The pair from Tallahassee, Fla., traveled together to visit important sites in the life of Martin Luther King Jr., with stops at his birthplace, the Atlanta church where he preached and the Mason Temple in Memphis, where he said "I've been to the mountaintop."

They were among thousands of visitors on Monday to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis where King's birthday was celebrated with song, dance, tours of the museum and donations to food banks and Lifeblood. 

"When he hears about it, he watches it on TV or looks at it on YouTube like a lot of young folks do nowadays, he can say, 'You know what? I stood there. I saw the balcony where Dr. King was shot,'" 42-year-old Alan Williams said standing beside his son outside of the Lorraine Motel. "(And) talk about the dream Dr. King had and getting to see it and feel it right here in the city of Memphis." 

King, who was born on Jan. 15, 1929, was assassinated in 1968 at the Lorraine Motel, which is now part of the civil rights museum. This year marks the 50th anniversary of his death.  Shortly before 3 p.m. Monday, the museum had seen about 6,800 visitors.

Among them was a group of young men from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, including 22-year-old Brandon Jolly and 23-year-old Corderro Turner, as well as Howard Hollins, 30, who traveled almost 200 miles to the museum from Canton, Miss., with his wife, 1-year-old daughter and two 10-year-old boys. 

"It's a special feeling," Hollins said outside the museum.

Shamika Stinson, 33, came to the museum from Holly Springs, Miss., with her twin 10-year-old daughters, Ashley and Alyssa, who were clad in bright yellow and purple for a performance in the Watoto African dance troupe. 

"It's so great to see all different cultures coming together for this great milestone," Stinson said. "I'm very excited to be a part of this history because this is history in the making. To be here to experience it, it's great. It's very rewarding for my girls to experience it as well."

Carrying a large poster of King on a gold backdrop, Shirley Evans, 64, a manufacturing company inspector from Arlington, came to the museum to show her gratitude to the civil rights leader.

"I'm so grateful for everything that he stood for and the love that he had for all people," Evans said. "It's just a joyous occasion for me to come out and celebrate this special day."