A Memorial for Martin, a Man of Hope and Peace

                                                         Today we joined thousands of other DC area residents and visitors to get a first public glimpse of the new Martin Luther King Jr Memorial, which will be officially dedicated by President Barack Obama and a host of other dignitaries this Sunday, a date which marks the 48th anniversary of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech delivered as part of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Initially, this first-day unveiling was only to be for DC residents, but that plan was scrapped when it became apparent that the limited-viewing would be impossible to enforce.

The image of Dr. King emerges from the Stone of Hope, which is 28' 6''high and stand forward of, and is detached from the Mountain of Despair, a massive gateway which represents the struggle faced in the pursuit of social justice and equality.  The series of quotations  chosen for the inscription walls which frame the Stone of Hope and the Mountain of Despair stress 4 of the primary messages espoused by Dr.King: democracy, justice, hope, and love.

Travelers' Tip:
If you visit the memorial, make sure to read each of the quotations from Dr. King.  They provide a powerful prompt to reflect on how far we have come as a nation and how far we have yet to go.