Monday, August 22, 2011

MLK Jr Memorial In DC Opens To Public Today

The dedication ceremony for it won't happen until this weekend, but the MLK Jr. National Memorial opened today for public viewing.

There will be events occurring in Washington all week celebrating Dr. King's legacy, his leadership of the Civil Rights Movement and the first memorial ever dedicated to a person of color and a non-president.  

Those events will build up to the August 28 dedication ceremony in which President Obama, 'the Revs' (Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr),  Dr. King's family members and key people in the Civil Rights Movement will attend and say a few remarks. 

August 28 is also the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington and the 'I Have A Dream' speech at the nearby Lincoln Memorial.   The new MLK Jr Memorial is on the Tidal Basin next door to the FDR one.   It's blended in with the cherry blossom trees and is placed in a direct line of sight between the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial on the opposite side of the Tidal Basin.

Looking forward to seeing it on my next visit to Washington DC.

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