When I arrived in Memphis, I knew of the important and incomparable National Civil Rights Museum. It’s a “must-see” for people of all races. But I was curious to visit a venue that concentrated on how the struggle began.

I found Slave Haven, a place that gave refuge to runaway slaves. Built in 1856 as the estate of businessman Jacob Burkle, a German immigrant, it served as a station along the Underground Railroad. Strategically located only two blocks from the Mississippi River, the house provided safe shelter and concealment for fugitives heading to Canada.

Now a museum, visitors get to tour the seven-room building. Our guide, Elaine Lee Turner, pointed out trap doors as she led us down to a dingy basement where we observed a foreboding space that was used as a hiding place. She indicated that the attic was also a place to hide slaves.

In the museum, maps trace the routes of the Middle Passage. Other exhibits describe the slave trade in Africa, display items from Africa and the Jim Crow era and offer an in-depth …

On the night of April 4, 1968 I walked into the kitchen of my family’s Brooklyn apartment and joined my mother as she sat in front of a black & white TV with tears in her eyes. Together we watched the a news broadcast about the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

What’s remarkable about Memphis today is that it has embraced its crucial role in American history and made it accessible for us today and for generations to come. I’ve made two recent trips down there: one was for business, where I got a chance to roam around; and the other was a birthday present to my 73 year old mother. I felt Memphis was so much a part of African-American, and of our family’s history, that it would be sweet to share a tour around town with us. As a bonus my 20 year old niece, Amber, came along, making it three generations of my family that would walk through Memphis.

I took my mother and niece to the National Civil Rights Museum, which is partially located in the Lorraine Motel, where King was shot, and partially …

Join BlackAtlas.com Travel Expert-at-Large Nelson George as he takes you on a very personal trip to Memphis.