The Impending Doom That Is The Master Narrative

It is difficult for us, as students, to make it through an entire class session without talking about the master narrative and this unfortunate fact is not due to our love for metanarratives, but rather due to the countless times in which this narrative fails to line up with actual history. When one compares the push for equality in the Delta to the larger fight for civil rights, it is clear that the most effective developments were not the result of the march on Washington or King’s speeches, but instead the result of local individuals who fought a regional battle, trying to desegregate their own community rather than an entire nation.  Benjamin Hooks, H. T. Lockard, Jesse H. Turner, their faces are not depicted on research, and their names are rarely heard during black history month, but these are just a few of the Memphis heroes that dedicated their lives to fight for civil rights. Sadly, their contributions and the contributions of thousands of others seem forgotten in the larger discourse, overshadowed by statues of Marin Luther King and national tributes to Rosa Parks. But how do we fight this master narrative? How do we change national discourse to reflect the contributions of those who don’t have monuments or memorials? Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer to this question. Changing public history is a daunting challenge, one that requires the reeducation of millions of people. But one thing is clear and that is the need for historians to collect oral histories, for we are now facing the threat of losing these histories forever.

            The generation that pushed for civil rights in this nation is a great one, filled with dedicated men and women who stopped at nothing to achieve racial equality. But this generation, the generation who knows the true narrative regarding civil rights, has aged, and we are on the cusp of losing their memories forever. A vibrant young man or woman who took part in the sanitation strikes when they were 20 would now be 66 and even though advances in medical technologies have drastically extended the life expectancy of seniors in America, the reality is no one can live forever. That is why historians must now work harder than ever to collect and store memories from those who witnesses developments in civil rights in Memphis and around the nation. If they don’t, the result in regards to those seeking to deconstruct the master narrative would be catastrophic. In order to change the discourse about civil rights, scholars need evidence that suggests that the status quo doesn’t reflect what actually brought about racial equality. That evidence exists in the memories of activists who can tell us exactly what happened 60 years ago when Memphians were seeking better wages. But if no one acts, that evidence will be lost forever destroying historian’s opportunity to change the master narrative.