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CNN Live Today
Expanding the Legacy
Aired September 30, 2002 - 11:39 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis is celebrating its 11th anniversary and the opening of a new exhibit. It's called "Exploring the Legacy," and it features some never-before-seen evidence from the investigation of James Earl Ray in the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Reporter Ursula Madden of our affiliate WMC has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
URSULA MADDEN, WMC REPORTER: The gateway to the expanded portion of the Civil Rights Museum was opened before a crowd of hundreds, eager to see the new $11 million "Exploring the Legacy," exhibit, displaying evidence of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
REV. BENJAMIN HOOKS, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I was here the day Dr. King got shot, and to see the continuation of the James Earl Ray exhibit, the ballistic he dispersed (ph), the rifle, the binoculars and to see this marvelous crowd, and to know that the dreamer has been killed but the dream still lives is a marvelous thing in my life.
MADDEN: Inside the new wing, the rifle, the fatal bullet and the boarding house bathroom where James Earl Ray is believed to have fired the shot create a tide of emotion for all who see them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's kind of a chilling effect. It's just very hard to describe.
HOOKS: Seeing what he saw is extremely powerful. It adds a whole new dimension to the experience.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For many visitors, the display opens the door to more questions surrounding Dr. King's death and the man accused of his murder. Former public defender and now Shelby County Mayor A.C. Wharton.
MYR. A.C. WHARTON, SHELBY COUNTY, TN.: This man did not have the intellect, the finance or the ability to get around the world. I definitely have some questions. We now know that Dr. King was constantly under surveillance. How did it happen? I will forever have questions about that.
MADDEN: But some evidence is not in question, that on April 4, 1968, the shooter kneeled in this bathtub, aimed a rifle outside this slightly cracked window and fired the shot that killed Dr. King.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: Exploring the legacy primarily deals with the influence and impact of the civil rights movement, in addition to looking at the controversy surrounding Martin Luther King's assassination.
Joining us now from Memphis to talk more about all of this is Beverly Robertson. She is the museum's executive director.
Good morning. How are you?
BEVERLY ROBERTSON, EXEC. DIR. NATL. CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM: Good morning. How are you?
HARRIS: I'm quite well, thank you. And curious about how you were able to get all that into that stuff that we have not seen and heard before about the King assassination. Was that easy to come by, or what?
ROBERTSON: Well, several years ago, the state of Tennessee, the legislature, passed a ruling that once the trial or all of the official proceedings were completed, that they'd like for the evidence collection to be housed at an educational institution for museum that would allow the public to have access to the information and to display the information so that people could come and see it.
So in the year 2000, the district attorney, along with the county court clerk, really finished and finalized the custodial agreement it make National Civil Rights Museum the custodian of the evidence collection in the James Earl Ray versus the state of Tennessee case.
HARRIS: As I understand it, though, that case did reach conclusion, but this exhibit does not try it reach a conclusion about that. And why is that?
ROBERTSON: I'll tell you, the reason that we do not, is because we still believe that there are lingering questions that yet exist about the assassination of Dr. King. And in our exhibit space, we really deal with some of those lingering questions through the body of an exhibit that responds to these questions from three perspectives: one, from the House Select Committees investigation, the early investigation; two, from the King v. Jours investigation; and three, from the Justice Department's reinvestigation held in 2000. And two of the investigations come up with the same collusion, that James Earl Ray fired the shot, but the King Jours investigation still offers another alternative.
I think we probably won't know in our lifetime, because the official records are sealed and won't be opened until 2020-something. So we believe it's best for the National Civil Rights Museum to present the information, allow the public to explore the information, see the evidence, create the web interactively, which is what we've done, and then let the public decide for themselves what they believe.
HARRIS: Now it's kind of interesting you could trust the public to come up with a conclusion and one that actually makes some sense on their own. We have seen what happens when you lead people to their own devices and they come up with their own conspiracy theories, or whatever. And you don't think there is anything wrong with that? I know it's early, because the exhibit has just opened over the weekend here. But any concern about maybe the public leaving more confused than they were when they went in, or what?
ROBERTSON: I think they are going to be more enlightened, frankly. They never have seen the evidence that was gathered as a direct result of the investigations that were conducted by the state. They've never seen the records of the House Select Committee or seen their responses. They've never seen the official findings of the Justice Department reinvestigation.
I think, frankly, when you give people more information, they use that information to either reinforce a position that they held, or maybe even to explore further.
And the purpose of museums is really to pique your interest so that you can continue to research and investigate on your own, and I think we've done that here in Memphis.
HARRIS: It sure sounds like it. Sure sounds like it. And as I said, it's early now, but we'll see how things play out for you down the road. We sure do wish you luck, Beverly Robertson, and good luck to you and the museum as well.
ROBERTSON: Thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 30, 2002 - 11:39 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis is celebrating its 11th anniversary and the opening of a new exhibit. It's called "Exploring the Legacy," and it features some never-before-seen evidence from the investigation of James Earl Ray in the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Reporter Ursula Madden of our affiliate WMC has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
URSULA MADDEN, WMC REPORTER: The gateway to the expanded portion of the Civil Rights Museum was opened before a crowd of hundreds, eager to see the new $11 million "Exploring the Legacy," exhibit, displaying evidence of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
REV. BENJAMIN HOOKS, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I was here the day Dr. King got shot, and to see the continuation of the James Earl Ray exhibit, the ballistic he dispersed (ph), the rifle, the binoculars and to see this marvelous crowd, and to know that the dreamer has been killed but the dream still lives is a marvelous thing in my life.
MADDEN: Inside the new wing, the rifle, the fatal bullet and the boarding house bathroom where James Earl Ray is believed to have fired the shot create a tide of emotion for all who see them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's kind of a chilling effect. It's just very hard to describe.
HOOKS: Seeing what he saw is extremely powerful. It adds a whole new dimension to the experience.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For many visitors, the display opens the door to more questions surrounding Dr. King's death and the man accused of his murder. Former public defender and now Shelby County Mayor A.C. Wharton.
MYR. A.C. WHARTON, SHELBY COUNTY, TN.: This man did not have the intellect, the finance or the ability to get around the world. I definitely have some questions. We now know that Dr. King was constantly under surveillance. How did it happen? I will forever have questions about that.
MADDEN: But some evidence is not in question, that on April 4, 1968, the shooter kneeled in this bathtub, aimed a rifle outside this slightly cracked window and fired the shot that killed Dr. King.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: Exploring the legacy primarily deals with the influence and impact of the civil rights movement, in addition to looking at the controversy surrounding Martin Luther King's assassination.
Joining us now from Memphis to talk more about all of this is Beverly Robertson. She is the museum's executive director.
Good morning. How are you?
BEVERLY ROBERTSON, EXEC. DIR. NATL. CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM: Good morning. How are you?
HARRIS: I'm quite well, thank you. And curious about how you were able to get all that into that stuff that we have not seen and heard before about the King assassination. Was that easy to come by, or what?
ROBERTSON: Well, several years ago, the state of Tennessee, the legislature, passed a ruling that once the trial or all of the official proceedings were completed, that they'd like for the evidence collection to be housed at an educational institution for museum that would allow the public to have access to the information and to display the information so that people could come and see it.
So in the year 2000, the district attorney, along with the county court clerk, really finished and finalized the custodial agreement it make National Civil Rights Museum the custodian of the evidence collection in the James Earl Ray versus the state of Tennessee case.
HARRIS: As I understand it, though, that case did reach conclusion, but this exhibit does not try it reach a conclusion about that. And why is that?
ROBERTSON: I'll tell you, the reason that we do not, is because we still believe that there are lingering questions that yet exist about the assassination of Dr. King. And in our exhibit space, we really deal with some of those lingering questions through the body of an exhibit that responds to these questions from three perspectives: one, from the House Select Committees investigation, the early investigation; two, from the King v. Jours investigation; and three, from the Justice Department's reinvestigation held in 2000. And two of the investigations come up with the same collusion, that James Earl Ray fired the shot, but the King Jours investigation still offers another alternative.
I think we probably won't know in our lifetime, because the official records are sealed and won't be opened until 2020-something. So we believe it's best for the National Civil Rights Museum to present the information, allow the public to explore the information, see the evidence, create the web interactively, which is what we've done, and then let the public decide for themselves what they believe.
HARRIS: Now it's kind of interesting you could trust the public to come up with a conclusion and one that actually makes some sense on their own. We have seen what happens when you lead people to their own devices and they come up with their own conspiracy theories, or whatever. And you don't think there is anything wrong with that? I know it's early, because the exhibit has just opened over the weekend here. But any concern about maybe the public leaving more confused than they were when they went in, or what?
ROBERTSON: I think they are going to be more enlightened, frankly. They never have seen the evidence that was gathered as a direct result of the investigations that were conducted by the state. They've never seen the records of the House Select Committee or seen their responses. They've never seen the official findings of the Justice Department reinvestigation.
I think, frankly, when you give people more information, they use that information to either reinforce a position that they held, or maybe even to explore further.
And the purpose of museums is really to pique your interest so that you can continue to research and investigate on your own, and I think we've done that here in Memphis.
HARRIS: It sure sounds like it. Sure sounds like it. And as I said, it's early now, but we'll see how things play out for you down the road. We sure do wish you luck, Beverly Robertson, and good luck to you and the museum as well.
ROBERTSON: Thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
