The idea to build a national memorial to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the Mall in Washington, DC was conceived by members of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the nation’s oldest black college fraternity. During breakfast one morning in 1984 George Sealey, Alfred Bailey, Oscar Little, Eddie Madison, and John Harvey decided that Dr. King, who had been a member of that fraternity, should be so honored. “They wanted to see Dr. King placed in the rightful context for what he had done for his country. So they came up with the idea and formed a foundation,” said Harry Johnson, a Houston lawyer and law professor who is president of the Martin Luther King National Memorial Foundation Project.

After years of planning, red tape, studies and analysis, a bill proposing the building of the memorial was finally passed by Congress in 1996. Legislation granting approval to build the memorial on the designated site was signed by President Bill Clinton in 1998. Ground was broken on the site on November 13, 2006. Construction is scheduled to begin this spring and if all goes well, the Memorial will be ready for opening in late 2009, 25 years after the original idea was born. The Memorial will be built on a four-acre plot in the Tidal Basin, adjacent to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, in a visual “line of leadership” from the Lincoln Memorial, where King gave his famous I Have a Dream speech, to the Jefferson Memorial. Dr. King is the first person of color to be so honored.

The Roma Design Group of San Francisco, California came out on top in an international competition for a design that, according to the competition requirements would have to “encompass Dr. King’s spirituality, his leadership and his personal sacrifice in the movement for social justice and his message of hope for all humanity.” Roma’s design has three underlying themes: justice, democracy and hope—highlighted by the use of water, stone and trees throughout the memorial. Water, it’s sound and movement were chosen to emulate the crescendo effect that Dr. King employed in his speeches. Stone illustrates the struggle and sacrifice endured during the Civil Rights Movement. Two thirds of the memorial is devoted to trees, bushes and flowers, creating areas of inspiration and for reflection. The cherry trees, which were incorporated into the design and are already a tourist attraction in Washington, DC, bloom, appropriately, around the anniversary of Dr. King’s death. The most striiking elements of the design are the three huge stones which appear to have been cut from the same mammoth boulder. These stones represent a phrase from King’s I Have a Dream speech—With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope. Each of the stones has a rough side and a polished side. Two stand separate creating an entry portal into the plaza and are known as the Mountain of Despair. The third stone which is moved away—having emerged out of the mountain of despair—is the Stone of Hope, on which is carved a representation of Dr. King looking out toward the Jefferson Memorial.

Like all of the national memorials constructed on the Mall since World War II including the Viet Nam War Memorial, monies to build the memorial and maintain it must come from private donations. The federal government donates the land. There are no fees involved in visiting the Memorial, but souvenir items will be sold at the Visitors Center. “We’re just building the Memorial,” said Harry Johnson. “It belongs to the people of the United States of America. We will turn the title over to the government and so this becomes a piece of American history owned by the American public to visit and enjoy.

Construction is scheduled to begin this spring and if all goes well, the Memorial will be ready for opening in late 2009, 25 years after the original idea was born.

So far over 80 percent of the funds required for the King Memorial has been raised, most of it from major corporations, among them General Motors, Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation, Proctor & Gamble, the National Basketball Association, CocaCola, Toyota, ExxonMobile, FedEx, Verizon and numerous others. Some high worth individuals such as filmaker George Lucas, musician Carlos Santana and Sheila Johnson-Newton have also given generously. “I’m delighted to report that as 2007 closes, we have raised $87 million of our $100 million goal,” reported Harry Johnson. “We are excited that now we are negotiating a contract with an African American-owned architectural firm that will be heading up the construction firms to build this Memorial to Dr. King. We’re putting together a faith-based initiative in the New York area. Rev. Butts, Rev. Flake and Rev. Youngblood are heading up the team to get churches involved,” he continued. “We want everybody who wants to be a part of this to be able to do so.” Mr. Johnson went on to explain that donors of $1 million or more will be acknowledged with their names on a wall in the Visitors Center. But everyone who gives will be acknowledged in the computer data base at the Center he assured me. Even if you give $5, you, your children and grandchildren will be able to pull up your name on the computer and know that you were a part of building this great Memorial. “Someone said to me that everyone who benefitted from what Dr. King did should contribute to this Memorial.” Johnson said. “When you think about it everyone in this country, black white, brown or whatever, benefitted. And if you go anywhere in the world and there is upheaval or protest, they lock arms and sing ‘We Shall Overcome.’ There are statues of him and schools and buildings named for him all over the world. My reflection is simply this, that Dr. King made life better for all of us.”

Indeed! We urge you to become a part of history and donate to the Martin Luther King National Memorial Project Foundation. You can do so online at www.mlkmemorial.org. Contributions may be mailed to National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. 401 F Street, NW, Suite 334 Washington, DC 20001.