Countdown of 10 amazing moments from the year 2011: No. 4 the MLK Jr. Memorial

The official opening of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to the public on October 16, 2011, both confirmed Dr. King’s place in world history and marked the triumphant implementation of a brilliant plan established by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity in 1984. King is only the fourth American citizen who was not a president to receive the honor of a memorial on the National Mall and the first African American to do so.

Although President Barack Obama enjoyed the distinction of delivering the dedication address for the event, it was former President Bill Clinton who, in 1996, signed the Congressional legislation that paved the way for the construction of the memorial. One of the more definitive statements, however, regarding the monument might very well have come from members of the MLK Memorial Foundation themselves:

“It will honor not only a great man, but the values that empowered his leadership, including courage and truth, unconditional love and forgiveness, justice and equality, reconciliation and peace.”

The MLK Memorial Foundation planned originally to hold dedication ceremonies for the monument on August 28 but was forced to reschedule when Hurricane Irene threatened the area. With the danger well past two months later, the event proved to be one of the brighter moments in a year dominated by political tension and economic devastation. The host of commentators and performers included such political and cultural icons as Rep. John Lewis, author Nikki Giovanni, the phenomenal Stevie Wonder, “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin, Roland Martin, and members of the King family. The occasion also featured for the first time in recent history a television broadcast of King’s 1963 I have a Dream speech in its entirety.

Despair, Hope, and Dreams Realized

Supporters of the monument observed a ceremonial groundbreaking for it on November 13, 2006, and over the next five years weathered a number of controversies regarding its actual construction. Among the controversies was the decision to employ master Chinese sculptor Lei Yixin to create the image of King known as The Stone of Hope. While a number of individuals argued that the project should have been awarded to an African-American sculptor (echoing a similar assertion regarding the African-American Monument in Savannah, Georgia) others countered that King’s spiritual philosophy was one that embraced all humanity and as such Yixin’s selection was not inappropriate.

Moreover, distinguished author Dr. Maya Angelou later made headlines when she expressed her dissatisfaction with this inscription on the monument: "I was a drum major for justice, peace, and righteousness." The words are a condensed, and therefore paraphrased, version of King’s original longer statement, which begins with “If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice…” The rephrasing, said Angelou, distorts the original meaning and makes King sound arrogant. The MLK Foundation has stated the intent was to honor Dr. King in the manner that he said he wished to be remembered.

The memorial as a whole consists of some four acres containing numerous trees––including 182 cherry blossoms, 31 American elms, and crape myrtles–– flowing water, and two additional granite sculptures. The sculptures combined are called The Mountain of Despair. In addition to the previously-noted quotation, the monument is also adorned with the following words from I Have A Dream intended to reinforce King’s humanitarian vision: "Out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope."

In addition, an inscription wall 450 feet long, and shaped like a crescent, contains fourteen quotes by Dr. King and adds an even greater sense of majesty and timeless historical import to the memorial.

NEXT: Countdown of 10 Amazing Moments from 2011: No. 3 Afro-descendants Worldwide

by Aberjhani, National African American Art Examiner
author of The River of Winged Dreams
and co-author of Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance

Pages from an Author’s 2011 Journal