Thousands of people are expected to attend the official opening of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial. Katherine Cole tell us about the memorial.
KATHERINE COLE: The new monument sits on one point six hectares of land on Washington’s National Mall. It is a short walk from memorials to two presidents: Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson.
Two large stones stand on each side of the entrance to the Martin Luther King memorial. Together they make up what is called the “Mountain of Despair.” The name was taken from Dr. King’s most famous speech.
The centerpiece of the memorial is a nine meter tall statue called the “Stone of Hope.” The stone image shows the likeness of the man considered one of the most influential civil rights leaders of the twentieth century.
Words from Dr King’s “I Have a Dream” speech also appear on one side of the statue. They read: “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” The other side of the statue recognizes his efforts. It reads: “I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.” Other famous words from his speeches appear on a granite wall that circles the memorial.
It has taken more than twenty-five years to plan for and build the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial. During that time, the project has faced its own “mountains of despair.” These include delays because of money problems, disagreements about the design and questions over the choice of a Chinese artist to make the statue. Lei Yixin was the lead sculptor for the memorial.
最新
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25