Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Foundation is one of the highly esteemed public museums in the United States; it is located in the Washington D.C., at West Potomac Park. The Memorial is located in the South West region of the National Mall. Research indicates that the National Mall takes the larger portion of the museum (“Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial” par. 6).
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial secured position is three hundred and ninety five among the National Parks in the United States of America. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial monument is strategically placed at the Northwest corner. It has been noted that the monument is near the Tidal basin (Wilson 6).
There are a number of other memorials in the museum such as the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and Lincoln Memorial among other distinctive memorials. The monument official address corresponds with the time when the Civil Rights Act (1964) was enacted into a law in the United States.
The memorial covers four acres of land. It is among the most recent museums in the United States. Research indicates that the Memorial was opened to the general public on August 22 ,2011, (“Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial” par. 19). It took two decades for the architects to construct, plan and raise funds to make the project magnificent.
History indicates that a ceremony was performed to honor the fallen heroes on Sunday, August 28th , 2011. It was the same day as the forty eighth anniversary of the speech ‘I have a dream’. It is believed that the delivery of the speech was made by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial.
Research indicates that the speech was reconsidered at the sixteenth anniversary at the ‘Million Man March’ in 1995, done at the National Mall. It has been noted that the ‘Million Man March’ was cultivated by the Hurricane Irene. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is highly valued by the African-American communities in the United States and beyond.
Research indicates that there are a number of other African-American memorials in Washington D.C. A good example is the memorial of Dr. King, who was the first African-American to be given the honor to be immortalized in memorial. His memorial stands next to the National Mall, it has been noted that Dr. King took position four among the memorialized non-president persons (Wilson 32).
The National Park Service (NPS) controls and administers the King Memorial Services. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 and passed away on April 4, 1968 at the age of thirty nine. He was an American activist, clergyman and a leader considered prominent, among the African American-communities.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an iconic figure representing the Civil Rights Movement (“Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial” par. 11). He employed tactics that shunned away violence, as per the guidance approved by Mahatma Gandhi. Reflecting on the modern American liberalism, the contributions made by Martin Luther King, Jr. are highly valued.
The career of Martin Luther King, Jr. began early in his life. Research indicates that he coordinated the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955; in 1957 he was among the key founders and propellers of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. March on Washington took place in 1963, which led to the delivery of the iconic speech identifying as ‘I have a Dream’ (Luther par. 7).
History indicates that Martin Luther King, Jr. contributed significantly to the expansion of the American values to incorporate all the people. The speech is believed to heavily borrow a number of aspects from the Statue of Liberty that signifies freedom.
Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 went to Martin Luther King, Jr., making him the youngest person to receive it at that time. The prize singled the King out due to exemplary contributions, particularly in ending the racial discrimination and segregation (Wilson 22). He applied tactics resonating with civil disobedience in peaceful platforms. He was prepared to extend the war on poverty and stop the war in Vietnam.
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s death occurred as a result of assassination on April 1968 in Memphis-Tennessee. News of his murder went round the United States like a bush fire, sparking race riots around the cities in America. It was unfortunate that Presidential Medal of Freedom was presented to him in the posthumous state in 1977.
The Congressional Gold Medal was presented to him in 2004. His influence has a significant impact on the current modern society (Luther par. 11). The United States federal holiday was established in 1986 to commemorate the Martin Luther King’s, Jr. day, which took effect in 2000.
Towards the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the words from the King’s speech ‘I have a Dream’ are clearly etched on the granite (“Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial” par. 9). This is believed to be the position in which the King stood at the time of delivering the notable speech. The etching was professionally done in 2003 at the March to Washington anniversary. Andy Del Gallo, a stone carver took the noble task.
The mission of the memorial illustrates a long journey for the attainment of freedom, justice and opportunities among the American citizens. The vision distributed by Martin Luther King, Jr. clearly geared at the possibilities and hope for the future of the citizens in the United States. The phrases pose a challenge to human race in the twenty first century. He emphasized on mutual respect, human dignity and sensitivity (Wilson 31).
America is a nation with diverse talents and abilities, based on the fact that the community consists of multicultural setups. The mission of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the mission of the Memorial coincide with strong emphasis on the American dream of opportunities, freedom and democracy for all the American people. People have been encouraged to cultivate a sense of duty. The King valued human dignity across the globe through relationships.
It has been noted that Harry Johnson is the current Chief Executive Officer and President of the Memorial Foundation. It is believed that Martin Luther King, Jr. influenced and continues to influence every visitor in the museum.
People from all walks of life visit the museum to honor the noble contributions made by Martin Luther King, Jr. The exhibit is not geared towards particular audience; it commands attention to people of all races, gender, religion, sexual orientation and ethnicity, who enjoy the excellent work done by Martin Luther King, Jr.
The exhibit is accessible to all people of the world (“Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial” par. 16). Persons with special needs have access to the facility through a number of special platforms put in place. The staffs are willing to make any assistance and clarifications. Improvements that could be done on the exhibits gears at decentralizing or duplicating the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue in other major cities in the United States.
This is critical to make sure that all the people are able to acquire information and inspirations at first hand. Personally, the inscriptions of the ‘I have a dream’ comes out very powerful, particularly on the line of racial equality in making sure that discrimination comes to a halt. It was noted that Martin Luther King, Jr. had the capability and powers to influence and inspire the unborn generations and the existing generations (Luther par. 15).
Works Cited
Luther, Martin. Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes. 2012. Web.
Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial. 2011. Web.
Wilson, Kathleen A. I Have A Dream; Martin Luther King Jr. , New York: Scholastic Press, 1997. Print.