USA/FILE: Monument to Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King set to begin construction on the National Mall

On Monday (November 13), ceremonies will be held to begin construction of a monument to civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The 100 million US dollar monument to Dr. King will be the first monument to an African-American on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Dr. King was a leading activist in the American civil rights movement from the mid-1950's until his assassination in 1968. He lead a non-violent campaign to improve social conditions for people of colour in the United States. King won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his work in advancing the rights of African Americans. In August of 1963, King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, which took place on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, half a mile (804 metres) from the site of his proposed monument. The memorial will sit on four acres, adjacent to the F.D.R. Memorial and in direct line with the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, near the edge of the Potomac River Tidal Basin. "Dr. King will be situated not far from the Lincoln Memorial where he made his famous speech, but then Dr. King is looking over at the Jefferson Memorial and talking about the promissory note that we will come to collect. It's all apropos to what his message was about then and will be about in the future," said Harry Johnson, president of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation. The entrance to the memorial will include a large sculpture called "The Mountain of Despair." It will feature divided granite rocks to symbolising the divided America that existed before Dr. King and other civil rights leaders forged a path to end social injustices that plagued the racially divided nation. "People from around the world, no matter what country they live in, when they talk about a peaceful demonstration for a solution to a problem, they look to two people. They look to Mahatma Ghandi and Dr. King. Having this memorial is a tribute to the legacy that he changed our country and indeed the world through peaceful means," said Johnson. The memorial comes after nearly a decade of grassroots campaigning and fund-raising to secure the money needed to begin construction. Donations for the monument increased after the death of Dr. King's wife Coretta Scott King, earlier this year, and civil rights leader Rosa Parks, who died in October 2005. Dr. King's work in part, led to then U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The landmark legislation outlawed discrimination based on race, colour, religion, sex, or national origin. The groundbreaking for the monument is expected to draw more than 5,000 people. It will include addresses from former U.S. president Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey. The ceremony will be followed by a gala at the Kennedy Center. The monument is expected to be completed by mid-2008.

ITN Source | November 12, 2006

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