Fest for a Great King

The Obama and King families tour the MLK Memorial site

In the last year year of his life, the Rev. Martin Luther King spent much of his time planning for a massive march and occupation of Washington D. C. to focus attention on the problems of poverty

On the last day of his life, Dr. King was in Memphis, Tennessee joining garbage men in their struggle for higher wages and better working conditions.

And today, on a beautiful October Sunday, more than 30,000 people joined President Barack Obama to dedicate the new national Memorial to Dr. King and hear clarion calls for a re-dedication to action to turn King's dreams of social and economic justice into reality.

"Today, people bring up the brand of my father and forget the beliefs of my father," said Martin Luther King III.

One of Rev. King's daughters, Bernice, tied the dedication to the Occupy DC protests occurring just blocks from the Memorial site, calling for "a radical revolution of values and reordering of priorities in the nation.".

"As we dedicate this monument, I can hear my father saying that oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever," she said. "The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself ... I hear my father saying what we are seeing now, all across the streets of America and the world, is a freedom explosion."

Obama: Keep poushing for the King dream

In his remarks, President Obama also issued a call for continued commitment to the values and ideals espoused by Dr. King.

"Nearly 50 years after the March on Washington, our work -- Dr. King's work -- is not yet complete," President Obama said.""Let us not be trapped by what is. We can't be discouraged by what is. We've got to keep pushing for what ought to be. I know we will overcome. I know there are better days ahead. I know this because of the man towering over us."

The Memorial site features a 30-foot statue of Dr. King gazing out over the Tidal Basin. Julian Bond, who as a young man marched side by side with Dr. King, noted that despite his huge accomplishments, the 5'7'' King was always sensitive to his physical stature. "And now he is 30 feet tall," Bond, pointing to the statue, noted.

Next to the wildly enthusiastic greetings for President Obama, some of the day's loudest vocal response came for the remarks delivered by Rev. Al Sharpton, who said the King Memoiral will stand as "a marker for justice today."

One day earlier, Sharpton had led a DC  march for jobs and justice, an action that put him in direct alignment with the Occupy DC group. "We're going to occupy the voting booth. We're going to take in those who stand for justice and retire those who stand in the way" Sharpton said to the clamoring crowd. "This (election) is not about Obama; this is about our Moma."

Tales, Tidbits & Traveling Tips:
While most of the tributes to Dr. King and his legacy took the form of the spoken word (including a magnificent poem written especially for the occasion and delivered by poet Nikki Giovanni) music was also part of the message. Aretha Franklin sang "Take My Hand, Precious Lord," a hymn she said Dr. King often requested.  Stevie Wonder led the crowd in a rousing rendition of his song "Happy Birthday," written to commemorate the Martin Luther King holiday.  Wonder also headlined a celebratory 2-hour concert that also featured James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, and Ladice and concluded the 6-and-a-half hour day of celebration.

Stevie Wonder and social activist/comic Dick Gregory

Sheryl Crow

James Taylor

Wonder and Crow duet on Dylan's Blowing in the Wind

A fitting finale: Love Train