Memorial to MLK

Misquote... Read the Christian Science Monitor article!
Meaning of the memorial according to Clayborne Carson
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MLK memorial in Washington DC (Wikipedia article)

Vincent & Hugues imagined the speech given at the inauguration in 2011 of MLK’s memorial…

“Thank you for being here to celebrate the great man that was Martin Luther King. He was many times criticized for being indecisive, but, in the end, we owe him so much. Today, thanks to his determination, the lives of Afro-Americans have changed for the better, forever.

How can we describe this legend in just a few words? Perhaps, just by saying his name? It reminds us of those dark days when the Black community was oppressed and excluded from society, shunned despite its contribution to the building of this great nation… His name reminds us of the fight against that oppression and of the fight for recognition; we will never forget how MLK showed us the way!

We have built this memorial to symbolize three aspects of his fight: justice, democracy and hope.

He never hesitated to claim Justice even though the risks were high; not even the bars of his prison in Birmingham could silence his call for justice. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and this led to the first important victory for the Civil Rights Movement: the desegregation of the bus company in Montgomery in December 1956 after many weeks of boycott by Blacks. After this event, MLK never stopped protecting and helping those who fought for equality. We have chosen to represent the balance of justice by placing this stone statue near to another element: water.

Democracy is a beautiful flower that blooms throughout most of the world. Democracy gives a voice to the people. MLK spoke for the people; “I have a dream” he said in Washington in 1963. This was the dream of all those present. He united the voices of the people so that those in the Government would hear. The Kennedys heard, LBJ heard, and the Civil Rights Movement gained in importance. Democracy is symbolized on this monument with a pure and solid stone; it is a signal to the generations to come that only democracy can be the foundation of a just society.

MLK also embodied hope. He first gave hope as a father and as a preacher; he told his own children that despite what they were told, their skin color wouldn’t prevent them from going to heaven. Then he gave hope through his speeches and his actions to all African-Americans eager for justice and equality. The trees around this memorial symbolize this aspect of MLK’s fight. A tree is strong; it can survive harsh weather, needing only water and light. A tree symbolizes life. MLK was strong as a tree; he gave us hope of a better life. That hope has lived on after him.”