By Tiffany Pennamon, Editorial Intern
The unveiling of the memorial for Atlanta’s greatest civil rights leader and peacemaker will open at the National Mall in late August. Proposed in the early 1980s, members of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the late Coretta Scott King pushed for the memorial commemorating Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. After many controversies, the project was approved in 1998 and construction began in December 2009.
The dedication corresponds with the 48th anniversary of The March on Washington in 1963. It was the occasion for King’s renowned “I Have a Dream” speech.
The opening ceremony of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial will occur on Aug. 28, where the legendary civil rights leader will be the first African-American honored with a memorial in an area formerly reserved for presidents. The memorial’s address is 1964 Independence Avenue — a reference to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Visit dedicatethedream.org or for more events during the MLK Memorial Week click here.
