The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is located in West Potomac Park at 1964 Independence Avenue, S.W., referencing the year the Civil Rights Act Of 1964 became law. The memorial’s official dedication date is August 28, 2011, the 48th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, though the ceremony was postponed until October 16 due to Hurricane Irene.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister and social activist who became a notable figure during the U.S. civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until he was assassinated in 1968. He played a pivotal role in ending the legal segregation of African American citizens in the U.S., influencing the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, among other honors.
King's memorial is the first to honor an African American individual on the National Mall. The space is a place to contemplate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy: a non-violent philosophy striving for freedom, justice, and equality.
The memorial is flanked on two sides by low walls covered with many different quotes from King's speeches and writings.
As you approach the center of the monument you can see something that looks different.
Alternately if you approach from the bookstore you'll first see what looks like a mountain with a slot cut out of it.
"Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope."
From the "I Have A Dream" speech in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963. The quotation serves as the theme of the overall design of the memorial, which realizes the metaphorical mountain and stone.
Once you walk through the "mountain" you can see the statue, separated from the rest of the stone.
On the side you can see the relevant quote that explains the structure of the monument.
As I mentioned above after a quick stop by the bookstore we left the area as we prepared to leave town. You can view all of the pictures I took in this album.
~Matt
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