WASHINGTON (AP) — Some were locals who've watched
for years as the memorial to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. took shape on the
National Mall. Some were tourists who happened to be in Washington the day it
opened. All felt honored to be a part of history as they gazed at a towering
granite sculpture of the civil rights leader.
Hundreds of people slowly filed through the
entrance to the 4-acre memorial site on a warm, sunny Monday morning in the
nation's capital. Before reaching the sculpture, they passed through two pieces
of granite carved to resemble the sides of a mountain.
About 50 feet ahead stands the 30-foot-tall
sculpture by Chinese artist Lei Yixin. King appears to emerge from a stone
extracted from the mountain, facing southeast across the Tidal Basin to the
Jefferson Memorial.
The design is inspired by a line from King's famous
"I Have a Dream" speech, delivered during the March on Washington in
1963: "Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope."
While visitors snapped photos, shot videos and
spoke with dozens of reporters, the mood was quiet and respectful.
"I'm ecstatic," said Tehran Wadley, 35,
of Washington. "It brings tears to my eyes, just to be able to see
this."
King is the first person of color to have a
memorial on the Mall. It is surrounded by memorials to presidents — Thomas
Jefferson to the southeast, Abraham Lincoln to the northwest, Franklin Delano
Roosevelt to the south.
"I think it's appropriate," said Frank
Myers, 49, a Teamsters union officer from King George, Va. "His
contribution was just as great as any of the presidents. This country's come a
long way as a result of him and people like him."
Monday's opening had little fanfare, but that will
change during a week of events leading up to Sunday's dedication, which falls
on the 48th anniversary of the March on Washington. President Barack Obama is
scheduled to speak at the ceremony.
The memorial cost $120 million, and Harry E.
Johnson, president of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project
Foundation, said the group is $5 million short of that goal.
The sheer size of the King sculpture sets it apart
from the nearby statues of Jefferson and Lincoln, which are both about 20 feet
tall. It stands at the midpoint of a 450-foot-long granite wall inscribed with
14 quotations from King's speeches and writings. Among them: "We shall
overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward
justice."
The sculpture depicts King with a stern, enigmatic
gaze, wearing a jacket and tie, his arms folded and clutching papers in his
left hand. Lei, the sculptor, said through his son, who translated from
Mandarin, that "you can see the hope" in King's face. But his serious
demeanor, Lei said, also indicates that "he's thinking."
Lei said he wanted the memorial to be a visual
representation of the ideals in King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
"His dream is very universal. It's a dream of
equality," Lei said through his son. "He went to jail. He had been
beaten, and he sacrificed his life for his dream. And now his dream comes
true."
King was assassinated in 1968 while supporting
black sanitation workers who had gone on strike in Memphis, Tenn.
The memorial site is surrounded by 182 Yoshino
cherry trees that will blossom pink and white in the spring. It's intended to
be peaceful, giving visitors an opportunity to reflect on King's words and
legacy.
Geraldine Newton, 59, a tourist from Surrey,
England, took that opportunity Monday, sitting on a bench and reading the
inscriptions. She said the inclusion of the King memorial on the Mall was a
significant milestone.
"Hats off to America. It's facing up to
periods in its past that were very challenging," Newton said. "He's a
quintessential American hero."
Pamela M. Cross, 53, a cybersecurity professional
from Washington, said her father, a postal worker, attended the March on Washington.
She said King's message continues to resonate.
"The way the country is right now, it's good
to remember his principles," Cross said. "We are in need of jobs,
we're in need of equality, we're in need of an economic vision that's
inclusive."
Myers was 1 during the march, but his late father
and his aunts and uncles attended. Asked how his father would react if he could
see the memorial, he said: "I think he'd be in tears."
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
(AP
Photo/Susan Walsh)
