| The Push is On for Public Support to
Create and Finance MLK Memorial
Date: Sunday, July 10, 2005
By: Michael H. Cottman
Supporters of a plan to build a $100 million national memorial to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. say they need America's support to transform their historic vision into reality.
The four-acre memorial of trees, stone and flowing streams would be built on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and situated adjacent to the F.D.R. Memorial and between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials. Groundbreaking is scheduled for the fall of 2006, and completion is set for 2008.
Congress passed joint resolutions in 1996 authorizing Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to establish a memorial to commemorate the ideals King symbolized and to honor his legacy of non-violent social change that transformed a nation.
Harry E. Johnson, president and CEO of the Martin Luther King National Memorial project, said the proposed memorial is unparalleled because they are usually reserved for former presidents and heroes of war.
"Dr. King was not a war veteran, but a man of peace and a man of color," Johnson told BlackAmericaWeb.com last week. "This is a powerful project and a unique project because, on the National Mall, this memorial will symbolize the ideals that Dr. King stood for. People sing 'We Shall Overcome' all over the world."
Johnson, a Houston-based attorney, said he is pleased by the recent news that the U.S. Senate approved $10 million in federal funding for the King memorial. The appropriations amendment was co-sponsored by Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-WV), ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Committee and Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
"This exciting news reconfirms Dr. King's place in history as an American hero to all citizens, regardless of political affiliation, income, education, race, gender and lifestyle," Johnson said. "I now challenge everyone who has benefitted from Dr. King's American dream of peace, equality, and justice to help build this memorial."
Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP's Washington, D.C. bureau, said the NAACP supports the proposed King Memorial and the efforts of Johnson and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
"Dr. King is the most well-known African-American hero in our history," Shelton told BlackAmericaWeb.com . "This memorial speaks to his life and the great contributions he made to this country and to the world. This is a very, very important project, and the NAACP is happy to be a part of it."
The memorial, according to organizers, is envisioned as a quiet and receptive space that will reflect King's powerful spirit and the extraordinary leadership role he played in society. In the days ahead, a black architectural group will leave for Italy to select the granite for the memorial. The centerpiece of the memorial, the Stone of Hope, will feature a 30-foot likeness of Dr. King.
"Please know this: the memorial to Martin will send a message to the world that this country is a place of inclusion , rather than exclusion," Coretta Scott King said in a statement posted on the project's website . "This memorial will serve as a place of peace and reflection. It will embody the spirit of the man and the people he came to lead."
Johnson said his organization has raised about $50 million -- the halfway point of their intense fund-raising effort. But he added the project needs ongoing nationwide support.
He said several celebrities, like design magnate Tommy Hilfiger and actor Morgan Freeman, are supporting the King Memorial. Both Hilfiger and Freeman are producing public service announcements to promote public awareness.
"We need everyone of color to get involved in this project," Johnson said. "Kids and young adults under 25 do not have a recollection of who Dr. King is. We have to put this project into the proper perspective. We need to get this project done."
The King Memorial now has the support of Procter and Gamble, according to Johnson, and the NBA has pledged $3 million to the project.
Some of the project's other major contributors include Toyota Motors of North America, Delta Airline Foundation, Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Fannie Mae Corporation, and The Ford Motor Fund.
Johnson, who initiated the project in 1998, said he encourages all Americans to support the King emorial through the website or by calling (888) 4 The Dream.
"The magnitude of this endeavor speaks volumes to our commitment to sustaining Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy," Johnson says in an open letter that appears on the website.
"His willingness to act on his principles provides the inspiration for us to renew our lives and follow his example," Johnson says. "By engaging Dr. King's enlarged concept of active citizenship, we are confident that individuals from every sector of society will want to contribute to this noble project."
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