It’s About Time

After 15 years and some heated debate, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington makes it long awaited debut at the National Mall. The memorial is a 30-foot granite sculpture of the prominent civil rights activist, and is flanked by a crescent–shaped wall inscribed with 14 excerpts from Dr. Kings most notable sermons and speeches.

According to Harry Johnson Sr., president and CEO of the MLK National Memorial Project Foundation, “This is going to a first in two different ways—it’s the first memorial on the National Mall to honor a man of peace, and a man of color.”

Building a permanent tribute to the globally revered icon was a long and arduous process that tested the determination and faith of the team behind the project. The vision to build a national memorial dedicated to Dr. King 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.

While his legacy has been reduced to snappy catch phrases, ‘limited series’ postage stamp collections and Federal Holidays dedicated to the proposition that all American’s can devoutly worship at the altar of rampant consumerism, ultimately it is much more than a trip to the mall or a quick sound bite on TV during “Black History” month.

The true measure of the man we know as the leader of the American Civil Rights movement is actually more about the “message” that he, as well as other abolitionists and revolutionaries throughout history have given their lives to uphold and defend: the message of healing and unconditional love. Dr. King sought the integration of the spiritual and the intellectual, he asked us to go beyond ourselves and tap into the transcendent moral ethic of love.

Dr. King was the spiritual leader of our nation; he was the Commander in Chef of the war on racism, hate and inhumanity—the war for the soul of our nation. This war still rages on today, three years after the election of America’s first black President. This should not be the case, but tragically, it is. The price of freedom demands eternal vigilance, even more so when we speak of the ugly and odious specter of established racism. Perhaps the human heart will never truly free itself of fear and hate—but I refuse to accept this conclusion. The human race is made of finer stuff, and therefore, the warriors of light and love can never rest until the war is finally won…

But for the time being, right in the heart of our nations capital, bordering Washington, D.C.'s Tidal Basin between the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials, stands a 30-foot granite statue that captures the vision of one man who dared dream of freedom, opportunity and justice for all Americans.

It’s About Time.