Trail Mix
A Dream Nearly Realized: Monument to Martin Luther King Becoming a Reality
By Scott Kirkwood
A walk along the National Mall in Washington, D.C., provides an expansive view of our nation 's history, from the words of the Gettysburg Address carved into the walls of Lincoln's memorial to the monuments dedicated to veterans who are still in our midst. But the figures that emerge from tons of white marble and limestone are almost exclusively presidential figures or military heroes.
That's about to change.
In November, a ceremonial groundbreaking was held for a monument to the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., ten years to the day that President Bill Clinton signed legislation proposing the memorial. Congress designated the site in 1998, just a few years before placing a moratorium on future memorials along the Mall. Discussions with the King family and funding setbacks delayed the project, but construction is expected to begin, in earnest, in 2007. Former President Clinton joined President Bush, Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, and other notable figures at the ceremony.
The monument will be located on the edge of the Tidal Basin, between the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the FDR Memorial. The Lincoln Monument, where King delivered his most famous speech in 1963, looms in the distance. The monument 's design draws inspiration from King 's "I Have a Dream" speech: An enormous rock appears to have been cleaved into three distinct shapes, carving a passage through the "mountain of despair" and leading to "a stone of hope"--the center piece, which has been moved apart from the others. From that third stone emerges the profile of Dr. King.
Like the FDR Memorial nearby, the crescent-shaped plot of land sprawls about the edge of the Tidal Basin. Quotes from King 's writings and speeches will be carved out of a stone wall set amidst lush landscaping and fountains--a setting designed to prompt reflection and introspection.
To learn more, take a virtual tour of the site, or donate to the cause, visit www.mlkmemorial.org or call 888-484-3373.
Scott Kirkwood is editor of National Parks magazine.
