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Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington D.C. unveiled on National Mall, signifies slow but steady progression toward racial equality
By Gheni_Platenburg in Demographics & Dockets
August 22, 2011

The last couple of years have been marked with major milestones for African-Americans.

Eric Holder was confirmed as the first African-American U.S. Attorney-General.

Ursula Burns, Chairman and CEO of Xerox, became the first black woman to head a Fortune 500 company.

President Barack Obama became the first black president of the United States of America.

This does not even begin to include all the probably hundreds of other lesser known African-American milestones that have taken place in communities throughout the country.

None of today's triumphs, however, would have been possible without those who fought hard for civil rights, most notably, Martin Luther King Jr.

A memorial to him debuted to the public this week in Washington D.C.

The memorial, which has been 15 years in the making, is the first memorial on the National Mall to honor a man of peace and of color.

Bordering Washington, D.C.'s Tidal Basin between the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials, a 30-foot granite sculpture of the prominent civil rights activist looms, according to an article in The Root.

It's flanked by a crescent-shaped wall inscribed with 14 excerpts from some of King's most notable sermons and speeches. Further enhancing the site are 182 cherry blossom trees, which will reach full bloom each April, the month of King's death. And the memorial's street address, 1964 Independence Avenue, references the 1964 Voting Rights Act, a milestone of the civil rights movement, according to The Root.

The vision to build a national memorial for Martin Luther King Jr. was initially conceived in 1984 by Alpha Phi Alpha, the African-American fraternity of which King was a member. Congress authorized the memorial in 1996, and two years later the Alphas set up a foundation to manage fundraising -- to the tune of $120 million -- and design, according to an article in The Root.

To many people, the monument is seen as the largest event to happen in the past 50 years to people of color in the U.S.A.

It signifies a slow but ever-steady progression toward racial equality that fulfills the dream of MLK and everyone else who fought and gave their lives so that one day children will be able to live in a nation where they would not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character, the sons of former slaves and slave owners would be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood and that journalists like me can even write this blog for you to read.

I'm looking to interview anyone who may have a special connection to the monument or just anyone who may be making plans to go visit it. If this describes you or someone you know, please contact me ASAP. I can be reached via phone at 361-580-6521 or via email at gplatenburg@vicad.com.