Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Unveiled

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall was unveiled Monday to the public. The memorial's centerpiece is a 30 foot tall granite monument of King standing strongly with his arms crossed and his "I Have a Dream" speech rolled up in hand. Visitors greeted the sight with a range of emotions from awe to tears.

Speaking to USA Today, 73-year-old visitor Dudley Sims expressed his feelings toward the civil rights leader's monument, saying, "The dream has come true, the realization of what this man spoke on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial [during the March on Washington in 1963], this is the culmination of a dream that I in my lifetime never thought I'd see."

Here is a brief look at some key facts that went into creating such a tribute:

* In 1984, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity member George Sealey began a conversation on honoring Dr. Martin Luther King with a national memorial. 14 years later, President Clinton signed a joint congressional resolution authorizing the memorial to be erected.

* After a competition was held in 1999, a design by ROMA Design Group of San Francisco was chosen.

* The memorial design includes a boulder that has separated into two pieces, and another piece which sits further out. The two separated pieces create an entry for visitors to pass through on their way to view the sculpture of King carved from that third piece.

* The two-piece boulder is called The Mountain of Despair. It is meant to represent the struggle. As you exit, you then enter a wide open plaza which represents freedom after going through the struggle.

* The third piece, which contains the sculpture of King, is called the Stone of Hope and is the focal point of the memorial.

* The image of MLK was carved by master sculptor Lei Yixin. Initially there was some criticism of the selection of Lei because he is a Chinese citizen instead of an American.

* "The Mountain of Despair" and "Stone of Hope" were created using 159 blocks of granite from North America and Asia. Their names were taken from Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

* Randy Burkett designed the memorial lighting. According to KSDK St. Louis, he designed the lighting for the sculpture of King in way that is meant to make him strong yet still approachable.

* Other key elements of the memorial design are an inscription wall, trees, and water.

* The inscription wall is 450 feet long, crescent-shaped and contains 14 quotes from King carved into it the granite. The 14 quotes were purposely chosen from other material than Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

* Yoshino cherry trees will blossom each spring around the time when King was assassinated as a symbol of peace and renewed hope.

* The memorial sits on 4 acres of land on the northwest corner of the Tidal Basin. Its actual address is 1964 Independence Ave., SW, Washington DC. The street number is meant to represent Dr. King's involvement in the Civil Right's Act of 1964.

* The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is the first memorial on the National Mall that is not in honor of a president or war hero.

* The memorial cost $120 million.

* The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial will be officially dedicated Sunday, which will be the 48th anniversary of his "I Have a Dream" speech and March on Washington.

Sources
USA Today, "Visitors Moved by First Look at MLK Jr. Memorial" by Melanie Eversly.
MLKmemorial.org, "Build the Dream".
KGMI, "MLK Memorial Unveiled on National Mall".
KSDK, "Randy Burkett Lighting Design Inc. Lights MLK Memorial" by Kathleen Berger.
SFGate.com, "Long Road for MLK Memorial / It started with a couple's conversation 17 years ago" by Laurie Willis, Baltimore Sun.