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'The Memphis 13' Premieres On 50th Anniversary Of School Desegregation

On October 3rd, 1961, thirteen African-American children walked into formerly all-white schools in Memphis. Unlike other cities, Memphis schools desegregated without violence; and first-graders—not high-schoolers—broke the color line. There’s a new documentary out about the event. Reverend Samuel "Billy" Kyles is in the movie. Kyles remembers bringing his daughter to the doors of Bruce Elementary School 50 years ago today.

The Memphis 13: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement's Smallest Pioneers premieres at the Malco Paradiso October 4th at 6 p.m.

I love living in Memphis, but I'm not from the city. I grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I spent many hours at a highly tender age listening to NPR as my parents crisscrossed that city in their car, running errands. I don't amuse myself by musing about the purity of destiny, but I have seriously wondered how different my life would be if my parents preferred classic rock instead of Car Talk.
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