Ora Frazier remembers working behind the scenes during the Civil Rights era. &uot;I was not active as some were, I felt we could do a lot by working under the scenes,&uot; the retired school teacher said. Frazier was among a small band of veterans of the Civil Rights era in Natchez who gathered Friday at the Natchez Museum of Afro-American History and Culture on Main Street to pay tribute to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the eve of his birthday.

Frazier opened the discussion by leading the group in the song, &uot;Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around.&uot;

When racial tension was at its highest, Frazier said she and her husband still visited their white friends in Natchez and &uot;didn’t think anything of going to friends’ houses.&uot;

Each round table participant vividly recalled the effectiveness of boycotts of businesses with racist practices.

&uot;The boycotts helped,&uot; Frazier said. &uot;The businesses realized that our money mattered.&uot;

During her career as a teacher, Frazier said she focused on educating her students not only in reading, writing and arithmetic, but in self-image. &uot;I told them that they come from a long line of kings and queens in Africa,&uot; she said. &uot;They are standing on the shoulders of all who came before. You need to take an inventory of who you are.&uot;

Natchez Alderman George Harden said many of his childhood friends joined in the civil rights struggle. &uot;I was born and raised in Natchez and educated in segregated schools,&uot; Harden said. &uot;But I love Natchez.&uot;

Harden’s most vivid image of King is seeing the 35-year-old accept the Nobel Peace Prize.

Curtis Ross remembered the flurry of activity of the Civil Rights era. &uot;Things happened fast,&uot; he said. &uot;We were marching every day.&uot;

He also remembered the boycotts.

&uot;We had one of the better boycotts in the United States,&uot; he said. &uot;Some businesses went out and never came back. It made room for some others.&uot;

Natchez Mayor Larry L. &uot;Butch&uot; Brown recalled playing with black and white children in his neighborhood. &uot;Part of the uniqueness of Natchez and one of the reasons we keep people puzzled is that growing up we didn’t have segregated neighborhoods,&uot; he said.

Sher Sheshab Heter CM-Boxley recalled the day King was assassinated. &uot;In the end, when they killed Martin, I was at San Jose State University with a pistol in my briefcase,&uot; he said.&uot;If they could kill a peaceful man like Martin, no one was safe.&uot;

Tourist Michel Moalem from Beer Sheva, Israel, stopped in the NAPAC&160;Museum in time for the round table and added a unique perspective. &uot;I come from a divided country and I see a couple of parallels,&uot; Moalem said. &uot;Martin Luther King doesn’t stand for voting rights or laws, not about getting into a certain place or not,&uot; he said. &uot;He still stands for integrating society so that color or religion doesn’t make a difference.&uot;