ºº The memorial is designed as a full sensory experience with several passages taken from King’s sermons and speeches, water and stone landscaping and King’s appearance hewn from granite in the “Stone of Hope.”
ºº Upon completion of the memorial, it will be administered by the National Park Service, which will be responsible for ongoing operation and maintenance
ºº The memorial does not include King’s well-known dream speech, but other lesser known works.
Mission and Vision Statement of the Memorial Project
Mission Statement To commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by leading a collaborative funding, design, and construction process in the creation of a memorial to honor his national and international contributions to world peace through non-violent social change. Vision Statement Dr. King championed a movement that draws fully from the deep well of America’s potential for freedom, opportunity, and justice. His vision of America is captured in his message of hope and possibility for a future anchored in dignity, sensitivity, and mutual respect; a message that challenges each of us to recognize that America’s true strength lies in its diversity of talents. The vision of a memorial in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. is one that captures the essence of his message, a message in which he so eloquently affirms the commanding tenants of the American Dream — Freedom, Democracy and Opportunity for All; a noble quest that gained him the Nobel Peace Prize and one that continues to influence people and societies throughout the world. Upon reflection, we are reminded that Dr. King’s lifelong dedication to the idea of achieving human dignity through global relationships of well being has served to instill a broader and deeper sense of duty within each of us— a duty to be both responsible citizens and conscientious stewards of freedom and democracy. About the memorial ºº The street address for the memorial will be 1964 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC, with “1964” chosen as a direct reference to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, a milestone in the Civil Rights movement in which King played such an important role. The memorial will be located on a 4-acre site on the National Mall that borders the Tidal Basin. It will be adjacent to the FDR Memorial and will create a visual “line of leadership” from the Lincoln Memorial, where King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington, to the Jefferson Memorial ºº The centerpiece for the memorial will be based on a line from King’s “I have a dream” speech: “Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” A 30-foot high statue of King named the “Stone of Hope” will stand past two other pieces of granite that symbolize the “mountain of despair.” Visitors will literally “pass through” the Mountain of Despair on the way to the Stone of Hope, symbolically “moving through the struggle as Dr. King did during his life.” ºº Visitors will enter through an opening in a boulder, called the “Mountain of Despair,” meant to symbolize the civil rights struggle.
www.washingtoninformer.com
Celebrating the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial - The Washington Informer Special Issue / august 2011
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