Charities organize for license plate to commemorate MLK
WHITEVILLE, Tenn. — After commemorating 50 years since the death of Martin Luther King Jr. (killed April 4, 1968, in Memphis) a group of Whiteville residents, no more than 65 miles away from the Lorraine Motel where King was shot, had an idea.
“I wanted to get a license plate created in Dr. King’s memory,” Whiteville business owner Charles Morrow said. “I feel like Tennessee owes him, because this is where he was assassinated.”
After the initial idea, Morrow set out on a plan to find out what he needed to do to get a license plate made and sold in Tennessee.
He quickly learned that he would have to get 1,000 signatures before the state would order license plates to be sold.
Morrow realized, though, he couldn’t just have a license plate made for no reason; that wouldn’t do right by King’s memory. He knew he had to give people a reason to buy the license plate.
Morrow decided that the best way to commemorate King was by using the proceeds from the license plate to help as many people as possible.
The first organization he wanted to help was the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis because of everything the organization has done to preserve the history of the fight for civil rights in America.
Morrow didn’t want to stop there, though, he also wanted as many other charities to benefit as possible.
The first charity he wanted to help involved the Bible, a passion he knew he shared with King.
In Whiteville, Morrow founded a chapter of the Disciples Embracing Christian Education Bible College. The organization is non-denominational and inclusive to everyone, a virtue Morrow thought King would admire.
When Morrow started the school he said he wanted to create a study group that would allow people from any religious sect to join and feel comfortable.
“I’ve been fascinated with the Bible since I was a little kid and my aunt bought me my first one,” Morrow said. “When I put the history and spiritual aspects together, I can really feel its importance.”
Morrow wanted the next charity to benefit to be closer to home. As a Hardeman County commissioner for 28 years, Morrow has been a staple of the Whiteville community.
This year a friend of his, Whiteville town recorder Angelous Simmons, started the Whiteville Food Bank. She had just started to raise enough money to give away her first meals when she signed on with the MLK license plate.
“We did a little something last week for Thanksgiving,” Simmons said. “But I’m hoping we can get it up to once a month if we are able to raise enough money.”
If they’re able to get 1,000 license plates sold, the food bank would get around $3,750 in proceeds.