In honor and in celebration of the birth of Coretta Scott King, a new monument was unveiled at the King Center in Atlanta. The monument was presented by Hulu’s “Made by Her Monuments,” a series of monuments to bridge the gender gap in public art by honoring women of historical significance.
The event featured keynote speeches from Dr. Bernice King (CEO, The King Center); Saya Woolfalk(Visual Artist); and Vivi Nguyen (Director of Creative Operations & Culture, Hulu).
“This really reflects the essence of who she was as a person and it’s very touching for me,” Dr. Bernice King said. “It’s still unbelievable that she’s not here. But she’s here because she stepped on this ground so often. She deposited so much in this world from these grounds. And so her spirit was emanating from this place. I know what she sacrificed. We know what she sacrificed her offspring, her children. What she gave us was so much that people don’t even know what she had to fight through. She was so determined and focus, that she didn’t let anything stop her.”
Woolfalk, the visual artist who created the monument, shared her inspiration in creating the piece.
“I wanted to channel the energy for people who came to the site,” Woolfalk said. “I wanted people to be able to speak their own words and comments about civil rights and non-violence. So there’s a live microphone inside of the sculpture itself. And I really hope you all use that microphone, because it’ll amplify your voices. And in closing, I just want to say when you’re inside of the monument, you’re surrounded by her words. And those words are, ‘Women, If the soul of a nation is to be saved, I believe that you must become its soul.”