On Monday, a statue of celebrated civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. was unveiled on the Georgia Capitol grounds in his hometown of Atlanta. The statue is in honor of his memory and the 54th anniversary of his legendary “I have a dream” speech.
The new MLK statue comes at a time where controversy surrounding confederacy era statues across the U.S have been more prevalent than ever. Within this month alone, state officials across the country have swiftly removed several Confederate statues in their state following a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville that resulted in one death and over 30 injuries. Now with the unveiling of a statue of the prominent civil rights activist in the midst of the turmoil, perhaps the country is making some progress.
“The King statue will inspire and give hope to generations to come,” state Rep. Calvin Smyre, a member of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus who helped raise money for the statue, told NPR. “The day the statue memorializing [King] is unveiled will be a great day in the history of our state and nation.”
Over the past three years, Smyre has worked with several others including the King family, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and legislators to plan and raise money for the statue, NPR reported. But there were some struggles along the way. The sculptor first chosen to create the statue was Andy Davis. After his death in a fatal accident in 2015, the project was delayed. Eventually, it resumed when sculptor Martin Dawe was selected as Davis’ replacement.
“I think that this will be a symbol that the state of Georgia is in the business of erecting monuments to deserving individuals rather than focusing its attention on taking down monuments of the past,” said Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, who will preside over the King statue’s unveiling, NPR reported.
The 8-foot-bronze statue of Dr. King will sit on the Georgia’s Capitol grounds facing the direction of his hometown, Ebenezer Baptist Church where he and his father served as pastors, and his burial site, according to NPR. The statue which shows Dr. King with a book in hand and a coat hanging over his arm will be visible to drivers nearby Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.
“This tribute is important and a lasting statement about the value of inclusion, the strength of our diversity and the power of grace and how it changes hearts,” Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said. “This statue comes at a time when there are many conversations about historical monuments going on nationally and within the state. When the time comes, I’m confident in the city of Atlanta that we will walk it together as we have again, again and again.”
Featured Image via Flickr/Haydé Adams FitzPatrick
