Today, some 5,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C. for the groundbreaking ceremony for the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial. The $100 million memorial will be on Mall, near the Lincoln Memorial (click to enlarge the photo) where King gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech in 1963.
Included on the four-acre site will be an entryway cut through a massive stone symbolizing the mountain of despair. Once inside, you will come upon the missing section marking the stone of hope, bearing a carved profile of King. It will be ringed with walls chiseled with King’s words.
So far, approximately $67 million has been raised for this memorial. It is expected that with the groundbreaking, the additional $37 million will come thru soon. (To donate, click here.) If all goes according to plan, the memorial will be open in the spring 2008.
UPDATE: MB has a a firsthand account of the memorial groundbreaking on his site. (Part I) (Part II)
3 Comments
If anyone is interested, I have (the first half of) a personal account of the groundbreaking at my site, along with a link to a flickr set of pictures. Just click my initials.
Good stuff. This wil be a must see for everyone!
Over due, but I think well planned!
The second part is up – http://blacknell.net/dynamic/2006/11/14/mlk-jr-memorial-groundbreaking-part-ii/