By Andrew Fishman

Today started out at the home of the great Elvis Presley. Being a lover of music, I greatly appreciate what Elvis did for music, and seeing Graceland added to my appreciation. Seeing his grave made me more emotional than I expected it would.  People idolized Elvis in his prime, and his death was a heart breaker to many. I envisioned my favorite musicians of today (especially Dave Matthews) inevitably dying one day and our visit to Graceland helped me realize I should appreciate them more today while I can.

After Graceland, we went to Beale Street where we had free time to divide into small groups and pick our own places we wanted to go to for lunch. A bunch of us followed Billy to the amazing Rendezvous BBQ for a lunch of ribs. I am a changed man from that Memphis BBQ!

Our last stop in Memphis was at the National Civil Rights Museum which is located at the Lorraine Motel. This is the site where Dr. King was assassinated. After retracing the movement led by Dr. King over the past few days, standing inside the motel-turned-museum and looking out on to the balcony of room 306 where he was killed was very moving to say the least. Seeing his birthplace, grave site, and meeting friends of his really led me to a connection with Dr. King. I have seen pictures of the motel in US History class before but being there in person was pretty chilling. Billy told us a quote he got from an episode of “West Wing” that said “if they are shooting at you, you must be doing something right”. This quote and Dr. King’s experience told me that I need to stay true to my beliefs.

Directly after the museum we had a discussion about gentrification, which is the restoration of a run down area in a city, a process that happened when the Lorraine Motel was transformed into a museum. We then met with a woman named Jackie Smith who was the last person taken out of the Lorraine Motel when the city decided to make it into a museum. She suffered from the negative effects of the gentrification of the neighborhood. She has been sitting in front of the museum in protest for over 23 years. In her protest she has been struggling to turn the museum into a more “Dr. King-appropriate” landmark like a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. She believes that would be a better legacy to Dr. King.  While I don’t necessarily agree with her beliefs, it is always interesting to hear opposing view points.

We then drove 2 hours to Little Rock where we went to the famous Central High school. Billy told us the story of the “Little Rock 9”. Nine high school students, our age, integrated the school and faced incredible hardships. We also heard about the fights that President Eisenhower and the Governor of Arkansas had on whether this was a Federal or local issue. It was great to be sitting on the steps of the actual school and hearing this story.

We went to our hotel where we had time to swim and eat dinner. After dinner, we had a group discussion to get us ready for our first meeting of the trip tomorrow in Dallas. We discussed the issue of abortion. As many on the trip have said, it was great to be able hear our own peers thoughts on such issues as many of us don’t have friends that will get into these discussions at home. It was also interesting that we are a group of Jewish teens but have a wide range of views on this issue.

After the  discussion we went to downtown Little Rock where we had our wrap up and then actually got to see the “Little Rock”.

Today was a good transition into the next part of our journey where we will be debating various issues of today including abortion, gun control, gay rights and others.

Today’s early morning began with a light breakfast at the local Holiday Inn Express before driving off to the historic Graceland. After taking the shuttle to the mansion, we traveled throughout the seemingly infinite hallways, guided by our audio head sets. The majestic house included a variety of old fashioned designs and priceless antiques. Each room came with a new design and a story that led us closer to understanding Elvis’s life. The tour finished at Elvis’s grave, where people from all across the world leave letters, rocks, etc. to express their remorse for the deceased rock legend. Afterwards we boarded the shuttles and drove over to the Graceland gift shops, where we viewed a variety of Elvis memorabilia and bought various mementos which honored the “king of rock and roll.”

Later we drove over to Beale Street, where we split up into groups to enjoy lunch on one of the most exciting streets in the world. Each individual was given money to go and eat lunch at the restaurant of his or her choice. One group went with Billy to one of the best BBQ restaurants in the city, others went to various bars and cafes. We decided to go to Silky O’Sullivans, which offered an assortment of seafood and BBQ.

Once we were done eating, we went to visit the hotel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. The outside of the hotel has been preserved, while the inside has been transformed into a museum. The museum continued into another building, which showed the viewpoint of the assassin.  After leaving the museum, we met with a woman opposing the existence of the museum. She was the last person to be evicted from the hotel before it was converted into a museum. She has been sitting outside the museum in protest for over 22 years.

	inside the Civil Rights Museum

We then took a two and a half hour drive to Little Rock, Arkansas. Once we arrived, we visited Central High School, the first school to be integrated by nine African-American students. At the school, we had a discussion about state vs. federal government, since that is how the issue of integration was fought in the 1950s. We then had a discussion on abortion and politics. Many of our new friends got very impassioned by the discussion. The talk on abortion is to prepare us for our meeting with the Pro-Life organization we will meet with tomorrow. We drove to our hotel and had dinner at the pool.

After we finished dinner, we visited downtown Arkansas and visited the rock that Little Rock is named after. We sat in a circle, reviewing the previous days and telling our favorite parts of them. After getting a preview of the upcoming day, we took pictures and then left to go to sleep.

posing with the actual "Little Rock"

Being a complete music buff, a trip to Graceland to view Elvis’ home seemed worth the prospect of an early morning wake up call. I braved countless rooms of tacky 1970s prints until seeing the trophy room, where I was astounded at the magnitude of Elvis’ success. However, I found the lack of information about his personal life disappointing as I didn’t get to know him well while visiting.

Graceland - jungle room

Graceland - trophy room

Elvis statue on Beale Street

After a quick stop on Beale Street for lunch, we headed to the Lorraine Motel which houses the National Civil Rights Museum. Being a part of the place where Dr. King was shot, where history actually happened, was an incredible experience. I especially enjoyed the “eracism” shirts in the gift shop. After visiting the monument to the trials of those who fought for Civil Rights, we spoke with Jaclyn Smith, a woman who has devoted the last 20 years to fighting the creation of the museum. She argues that Dr. King’s legacy would be better served by a community center.

discussing Abraham Joshua Heschel in front of the Civil Rights Museum

meeting with Jaclyn Smith

This debate over gentrification was continued during our 2 hour drive into Little Rock. Our first stop was the site of the Little Rock 9. They were nine kids who integrated Central High School. This is where we sat down and discussed the issue of Federalism, and then to prepare for our upcoming meetings we spoke as a group about abortion. Billy kept us on our toes by forcing us to consider the opposing side of our arguments.

at Little Rock Central High School

Afterwards we went to our hotel for some swimming and dinner. We then went downtown and had our wrap up along the river and saw the actual Little Rock. After a day filled with laughs, AP Exam results, music, debate and passion, it was good to unwind.

After finally opening our eyes this morning we arrived at beautiful Graceland! We got to go inside and tour almost the entire estate! Although it was very dated, it was one of my favorite places we have seen so far.

After that we went back to Beale Street for some lunch and more free time. Then it was time to go to the Lorraine Motel which houses the National Civil Rights Museum as well as the spot where Dr. King was assassinated. We learned more about the Civil Rights movement as well as the fateful events of April 4, 1968 when Dr. King was killed.

We also got to go across the street and talk with Jaclyn Smith. Ms. Smith is an incredible lady who has spent the last 20 years protesting outside the Civil Rights museum. She was the last person kicked out of the hotel when the city decided to convert it into a museum. She thinks the city should follow in Dr. King’s footsteps and make the motel into a place to help the people Dr. King was advocating for when he died. She is an amazing person and I will never forget her.

After our meeting with Ms. Smith we loaded the bus and drove to Little Rock, Arkansas. Our first stop was at Central High School where we learned about the heroic actions of the Little Rock Nine. These were nine teenagers who were the first to integrate a high school in Arkansas. We also discussed the differences between federal and state law.

After that we went to our hotel and had a pool and pizza party before heading to downtown Little Rock to look around, have our wrap up discussion and see the legendary “Little Rock”. And now… Dallas here we come!

We woke up at 8:15 AM and were all surprised to see the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile outside our hotel. It was funny to hear everyone sing their song.

Our first stop was Graceland, the mansion where Elvis lived when he became famous. We got our headphones and started our guided tour. Now I have been to mansions like the Biltmore in Asheville, NC, but Graceland was the coolest of them all. It had the most unique rooms, including a jungle room, a meditation garden and a billiards room. I learned a lot about the King of Rock and Roll in the last few days. First of all, I did not know he was born in a tiny shotgun shack and died in a multi-acre mansion. I also had no idea the impact he had on the Civil Rights era and was a good and moral person. I grew up learning that Elvis was just a successful musician who died of a drug overdose. Well, I was proven wrong! I had no idea that he gave large sums of money to charity, read a lot and was his own producer. I have a newfound respect for Elvis Presley after seeing Graceland.

We then went to the Mississippi River, where we were able to just see it in all its majesty.

After spending a few minutes at the river we went to the Lorraine Motel/National Civil Rights Museum. Before going in Billy, had us read some quotes from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel who was one of the main Rabbis involved in the Civil Rights struggle. He marched with Dr. King in Selma, Alabama. My personal favorite quote was “in a free society, some are guilty but all are responsible.” The museum itself gave a detailed history of the Civil Rights movement and of the assassination of Dr. King.

Outside the museum, Ezra spoke to us about the issue of gentrification and we debated it’s pros and cons. This prepared us to meet with Jacqueline Smith, a woman who has set up a booth outside the Civil Rights museum in order to protest the museum. Her argument is that Dr. King would have rather had the city spend all the money they used to build the museum and gentrify the area on the people that were displaced by this. She has been out there protesting every day for 20 years. Afterwards, on the bus, Billy asked us if we agreed with her. Our bus was split about 50/50 but we all respected the fact that she was so committed to the cause. I agreed with her because I think if the museum was dedicated to Dr. King it should be more in line with the work he was trying to do.

We then took a two hour ride to Little Rock, Arkansas. Our first stop was at Central High School which was one of the main schools that began the integration movement. We had a discussion on the tension in America about state vs. local government. I learned so many things that I have never known about our government. Joel’s discussion on this topic really made me think. It was great how we were sitting at the high school where such historical events happened and that was at the center of state vs. federal law arguments.

Once we got to the hotel we went swimming and had dinner poolside. Turns out I ate food from the same restaurant in two different states….very cool!

We ended our day in downtown Little Rock. We had our daily wrap up sitting in a park overlooking the Arkansas River. From their comments, everyone mentioned that they loved the Memphis culture. After wrap up, we finally saw the reason for the city’s namesake. To our surprise, it was named after a little rock! To tell the truth, it was one of the most unimpressive things I have ever seen. Overall, day 5 was a blast!

Today my fellow friends and I went to so many amazing places. We started at Graceland, the mansion Elvis bought when he made it big. It is equipped with platinum records, fun beds and the Jungle Room! These past 2 days in Memphis made me gain even more respect for “The King” who started a revolution named rock and roll. I love Elvis and was a huge fan before we came to Memphis and am an even bigger one now.

We then went to the National Civil Rights Museum located in the historic Lorraine Motel. This is the site where Dr. King was shot and killed in 1968. The museum traces the history of the Civil Rights movement all the way from slavery to modern times. It included a section on the Central High School of Little Rock which we would see live in person later that day. We were also able to see where Dr. King was standing when he was assassinated.

After the museum we spoke with Jacquelyn Smith who has been protesting the Civil Rights museum since the day it opened over 18 years ago. When the city of Memphis decided to spend over ten million dollars to turn the hotel into a museum, it displaced many poor people who were living in the hotel. She thinks a better way to spend the money as a legacy to Dr. King would be to spend it on helping the disadvantaged. Not many of us agreed with her but most admired her convictions.

Then we drove two hours to Little Rock where we sat in front of the famous Central High School which was at the center of the desegregation controversy. We spoke about how our government handles states rights vs. federal rights. This was one of the basic issues argued when the school was being integrated. We also spoke about how the diverse populations in our own schools interact.

After the intenseness of the discussions we went swimming at the hotel and then went downtown to see the actual Little Rock.

All in all, I had an amazing day and I know a lot of other people did too. Everything we have done so far has been so inspiring and interesting. I am so glad I got to experience, and learn, new things.

Our journey so far has been incredible! We began today with a ride from Birmingham to Tupelo. We stopped in Tupelo to see Elvis Presley’s birthplace. We had a nice discussion about how rock and roll impacted the world. As Billy said “it doesn’t take something revolutionary to create a revolution”. This statement is so true in that rock and roll was a musical way to express personal emotions and thoughts and ended up impacting the lives of so many people. It is incredible to me how this artistic form of expression has evolved over the years. Elvis is extremely inspirational to me in that he went against his times and incorporated many different styles of music that fit his personal beliefs. Also, I find it amazing that in the beginning rock and roll was shunned due to its themes of sex and freeing the mind and body and how it developed into an extremely positive and influential idea.

We then headed off to our next destination – Memphis. Here we visited the Rock and Soul Museum where we discovered the changes rock and roll made through the years. After the museum we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Huey’s and then got some time to walk around Beale Street and engage in some necessary shopping. We ended the night at the Rum Boogie Café where we enjoyed the beautiful rhythm and blues sounds of the Rum Boogie Blues Band. They were great! On our way back to the hotel we stopped and walked down to the banks of the wondrous Mississippi River.

Shake, Rattle & Roll! On Thursday the glorious music of Elvis was in the air as we continued on our journey. We began the day by touring the mansion of the late, great Elvis Presley – Graceland! His house was uniquely decorated with shag carpeting on the ceiling of the Jungle room.

Next we visited Sun Studios where we got to see the actual recording room Elvis as well as many others like Johnny Cash, U2, Matchbox 20 and others used. It was pretty intense! Our tour guide, Elderado, was awesome!

Then we went to the National Civil Rights Museum. It was amazing to see the timeline of our American heroes and how they changed the world for the better…not only for their generation, but also, for those generations to come. Outside the museum we walked over to meet with Jacqueline Smith, a woman who has been protesting the museum for 17 years and 140 days.

She believes that the money spent to build the museum would have been better used to help the poor that the museum displaced. In her opinion, this would have been a better legacy to Dr. King. Her story is inspirational to me because she believes that she can make a difference – and I wish her luck.
After that we drove to Little Rock and stopped at Central High School, which was the school in the center of the desegregation debate in the 1960s. We sat in front of the school and had a very deep conversation about Federal vs. State government and the idea of racism and segregation in our lives.

After that we went to our hotel – which by the way is the nicest one we have stayed in so far—and went swimming. What a ball! We ended the night by going into downtown Little Rock and listening to a live concert by a Mariachi band at a Latino festival. It was awesome! We also saw the famous “Little Rock”…and what a cute little rock it was!

And the beat goes on…

After three day on the road, it feels like we have been friends for so long. We started the morning by going to Graceland. The flashy mansion that Elvis bought for $100,000 which including 14 acres of land back in 1957. After exploring Elvis’s house, we were to see Elvis’s grave in his mediation garden next to his mother, father and grandmother. We were moved by the thought of Elvis’s twin brother who died at stillbirth and thought what would have happened if that was Elvis, and how that would have changed the way rock ‘n roll shook out.

Walking into the Kings Castle at Graceland

We then traveled down the road, to where Elvis’s recording career started, at Sun Studio. We all agree that we could feel the magic standing in the studio where Elvis began his career and the story of Sam Philips. Our electrifying tour guide; Elderado (yes that his real name) was so full of passion and love for music that we found ourselves mesmerized by the Rock and Roll.

Outside Sun Studio

In the Recording Room

Daniel and the King

Lunch in a Flash

After scarfing down a quick lunch of subs we drove over to the civil rights museum at the old Lorain Motel, in Memphis where Dr. King was killed. We learned about the civil rights movement from its beginning with slavery in the 1600′s to where we have progressed as a society today. Many fellow Etgarians mentioned becoming teary eyed while they stood by the room where Dr. King was assassinated. Being in the actual Lorain Hotel in Memphis made it all the more powerful. We spoke with a lady, Jacquelyn Smith, who was once a resident of the hotel (it was a place for homeless to live), since 1977 until she was forced out in 1988 for the museum. She strongly argued that it should be a homeless shelter and has been protesting the museum, by sitting at the street corner for well over 16 years.
We then traveled to Little Rock, Arkansas, the home of former President Bill Clinton, on the travel we all took a nap in the bus and caught up on some rest. Upon arriving to Little Rock, we went to Central High School, where the infamous Little Rock 9 and school segregation faced off. We sat and had an amazing discussion in front of the school talking about racism in our schools and how we have evolved and what still needs to be done. We went on to discuss the different levels of government looking at how the federal, state and local levels interact and why it works like this. While we sat and discussed the Little Rock 9 we had a chance for each of us to open up, and the talk brought our group even closer.

Our discussion out side Central High School

School in the Summer?

We then finished the evening by eating at “Doe’s” steak house. This landmark restaurant is where the Clinton campaign in 1992 often frequented and worked on strategy sessions. We ordered our steaks by the pound and enjoyed every bite. Then we asked to see the power room where the team actually worked in during the campaign. When we walked into the back room through the kitchen there were some CEO’s in the back enjoying a nice meal.

What a Night in Little Rock

Today was packed but amazing. Every second of it was so informative and we learned so much from every stop, bringing us another day and 2 cities closer to truly finding and understanding our place in America. To sum up our day and trip so far, we end with this quote from Josh Dubin who was asked by one of the CEO’s at Does what he wanted to get out of this trip, his response ” We are learning what it is to be an American.

Hello, dear friends and relatives back at home! Retracing the history of rock and roll in one day is not an easy task, and today we almost completed it. We awoke, had a great continental breakfast and we hit the road, departing Birmingham and heading to the small, yet significant, town of Tupelo, Mississippi. This town is known for being the birthplace of a certain Elvis Aaron Presley, and we visited the house in which he lived as a boy. We were shocked at the size of this abode as it was smaller than any house we had ever seen. Then we hit the road again and had another wonderful meal, this time at Subway, and we headed towards our destination of Memphis, Tennessee.

Our first stop was historic Beale Street, where we explored what makes up Memphis culture and where so many famous musicians got their start.

Afterwards, we explored the amazing Rock and Soul Museum at the Gibson guitar factory. We saw how music brought the races together, as tired sharecroppers, black and white, would share their musical talents. We strolled through the years of musical evolution in America, seeing performers like Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly take this music known as rock and roll into the America mainstream. After the museum and the beautiful guitars that surrounded it, we walked over to the Peabody Hotel and saw the famous ducks on the roof. We then split up into two groups for dinner, one of which ate a carnivorous feast (the guys, minus one), and the other group went to the Hard Rock Café (the girls… and Brandon).

We wrapped it all up at the Rum Boogie Bar, where the house band wowed us with a great set which included classics like “Green Onions,” “Stand By Me,” and of course “Happy Birthday” (to Dallas a person we didn’t know). We discussed the day in a near by park, and we retired to a hotel that looked remarkably like the night before. All of us are looking forward to tomorrow and the rest the trip with mounting excitement. I can’t wait to tell you more, but you’ll just have to wait!

From Jordan R. (15 year old from Nashville, TN):

Our Group woke up from Memphis and headed to Graceland, the home of Elvis. We toured the mansion and other houses on the property, and then we saw his grave. His grave was touching and somewhat moving. The house was decorated with many abstract items; for example, there was a rug on the ceiling! We got to see some of his horses. We also got to see his trophy room, which contained his number one records.

After Graceland, we moved on to the place where Elvis and many other famous artists got their start: Sun Studios. We stood in the exact place where the late and great Elvis stood all those years ago. We learned a lot of history about the music that revolutionized the country. We got to see the “million dollar orchestra” of musicians Jerry Lee Louis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash.

From the studio, we traveled to the Civil Rights Museum. The museum was located at the hotel where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed. It really hit a lot of us at that point just how horrible things were before the civil rights movement. Some of us were even on the verge of tears. While Josh and Spencer were standing in the room where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated, one of his favorite instrumental songs was playing in the background. An African American woman walked in and started singing the gospel song, which seemed to touch Josh’s soul and bring him to tears. This was one of the most informative and moving Civil Rights museums we have been to so far.

As we were walking out from the museum, we went to see Jaclyn Smith who has protested the existence of the museum for over 15 years. Her feeling is that Dr. King would have rather kept the museum as housing for the homeless rather than an informative museum. We all admired her perseverance and dedication to her cause, even if we disagreed with her opinions. She was adamant about her beliefs and would not stray from her convictions. But even so, it was so interesting to see someone who gives her life to her cause.

We then went over to Little Rock Central High School to stand in the very place where the Little Rock 9 became the first African American students to attempt to integrate public schools in America. It was eerie to sit in a place that was such an important factor in the Civil Rights Movement. We sat in front of the school and had a discussion about the different levels of government, and how that brought about the National Guard’s presence at Central High School that fateful day. We also discussed the extent to which segregation has ensued in our lives.

Our night came to a close as we saw the namesake for Little Rock, the little rock on the banks of the majestic Arkansas River.