The event honoring and celebrating the 30 ft. stone sculpture of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been canceled for Sunday August 27, 2011, due to Hurricane Irene. President Obama was scheduled to speak at this event.
The event will be rescheduled, and the date is yet to be determined. 3 Chics would be remiss if we didn’t carry on with our own coverage.
Lei Yixin born ca. 1953, is a prominent Chinese sculptor. He has been designated “Master Sculptor” at home. Read about the the sculptor of the MLK Jr. Stone memorial here.
Read about the Memorial here.
To get more information on when the event will commence, go to (NAN ) National Action Network site here.
This week, the public got its first look at a newly unveiled memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., that honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is the first memorial on the National Mall not dedicated to a war, president or white man. The threat of Hurricane Irene has forced organizers to postpone the planned dedication of memorial on Sunday, which was to have been attended by 250,000 people, including President Barack Obama.
The dedication ceremony was to have taken place on the 48th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, when Dr. King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Despite the storm, a related Rally for Jobs and Justice will proceed tomorrow, ending with a march to the King Memorial.
We speak with longtime civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson, president and founder of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, and with Dr. Vincent Harding, a longtime friend and a former speechwriter for Dr. King. He co-wrote his famous “Beyond Vietnam” address. Harding reads from a Carl Wendell Hines poem written shortly after Dr. King’s assassination and notes that “Dead men make such convenient heroes… It is easier to build monuments than to build a better world.” [includes rush transcript]
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/8/26/mlk_national_monument_inspires_calls_to
Thanks for these photos
Hi Dannie; you’re welcome!
What would Martin Luther King Jr. think of $120 million monument?
MARY MITCHELL marym@suntimes.com
August 23, 2011 2:12AM
We are just days away from the official dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and I’m still fighting intrusive thoughts about what this means.
I figure when I get to Washington, D.C., and gaze up at the “Stone of Hope,” which opened to the public on Monday, I will feel like I am walking on holy ground.
But right now, I’m wrestling with some nagging questions: Would King really appreciate all this hoopla? Would he really have wanted his likeness to become a graven image on the National Mall?
READ ON: http://www.suntimes.com/news/mitchell/7219446-452/what-would-martin-luther-king-jr-think-of-120-million-monument.html
Thank you for posting this. Hubby and I were looking at the beautiful pictures posted by TiMT in his diary at TPV the other day. We both love the monument and think it a lovely tribute to a great man. But Hubby told me that he heard on the radio that some AA’s didn’t like it and were critical, even calling the statue ugly. Hubby listens to radio as he rides the bus to work, station access is limited to a lot of local RW talk so we put a BS on that except this was a Spanish station which is more liberal.
My understanding is that many people pooled nickles and dimes for years to make this happen. Are AA’s unhappy with the result or is this just criticism of the few to get their names in the news? I realize that MLK was an humble, spiritual man who would probably be embarrassed at this if he were alive but his memory is so deserving of this monument for all generations to come, just imho.
I would appreciate you Chicas thoughts on this. Hubby and I felt a bit sad and confused that this long awaited monument would be so criticized but I guess always someone must complain.
Hi aquagranny. I am just in AWE of the statue of MLK Jr. Kudos to the sculptor Lei Yixin. He did a phenomenal job!
I can’t speak for other black folks. For me, this memorial is a long over due and fitting tribute to Dr. King. I love it that he is standing.
There is something very striking about his stance, and the details of his face that resonnates with the era of the Civil Rights.
And I love the location and can’t wait to visit the memorial next year, when I visit my daughter and welcome my first grandchild into the world.
Lucky you! For the visit and the Grandkiddo! Thanks for responding. Hubby and I have always felt that MLK was a man for all of the people not just some of the people. He is a hero to many Latinos as well. It did touch my heart that the sculptor from China would feel this also.
Hubby retires after next month. We have been discussing saving up to go to Washington.
You’re welcome, aquagranny and so right. You name it, you claim it. That’s my motto. This creation took an humanitarian effort to come to fruition. Dr. Kings deserved nothing less than what has been created in this memorial. I LOVE IT; and haven’t seen it in person yet.