King Memorial – A Dream Realized
As I was driving home from work today, I was surfing through my presets, and landed on KERA 90.1 – NPR Radio. My favorite show All Things Considered was on, and I quickly realized they were speaking on a subject that was near and dear to my heart: The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial.
On November 13, a groundbreaking celebration will be held to mark the start of construction on the King Memorial, which will be built on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. As reported in the story on NPR (listen online here) a moratorium has halted the addition of any new structures and buildings on the Mall, which makes this project even more significant.
I visited the site of the memorial last July, and the location is exceptional. The tribute to Dr. King will be right next to the Tidal Basin, across from the Jefferson Memorial, and in close proximity to the Lincoln Memorial. This exclusive piece of real estate has been coveted by other would be commemorative projects. Rumor has it that some folks who want to build a memorial to Ronald Reagan had their eyes on the site, in expectation that fundraising efforts for the King tribute would come up short.
Commemorative Plaque in Washington, D.C.
This Saturday November 4 @ 7pm, Friendship-West Baptist Church will be hosting a program in conjunction with local fundraising efforts for the memorial. Erykah Badu will be the special guest at the event. Dallas Area churches were asked to raise $75,000 towards the $100 Million total cost of the project. Approximately $65 Million has been raised thus far (You can contribute now online).
It may not seem very important, but standing on the site in view of the Lincoln, Washington, and Jefferson Memorials, you understand the magnitude of this distinctive tribute to the life and work of Dr. King. I would encourage anyone who travels to D.C. to visit the site, although after the 13th you may have to contend with bulldozers and backhoes.
