WASHINGTON (AP) — President Obama saluted Martin Luther King Jr. on Sunday as a man who “stirred our conscience” and made the Union “more perfect,” rejoicing in the dedication of a monument memorializing the slain civil rights leader’s life and work.
“I know we will overcome,” Mr. Obama proclaimed, standing by an imposing granite monument on the National Mall. “I know this,” the president said, “because of the man towering over us.”
Mr. Obama and his wife, Michelle, and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his wife, Jill, joined a host of civil rights figures for the dedication on the sun-splashed Mall.
“He had faith in us,” said Mr. Obama, who was 6 when King was assassinated in 1968. Mr. Obama told the crowd, “And that is why he belongs on this Mall — because he saw what we might become.”
Mr. Obama credits King with paving Mr. Obama’s way to the White House. Before his remarks, the president left a copy of his inaugural speech in a time capsule at the monument site.
Crowds began to gather before dawn at the memorial site, just to the southeast of the Lincoln Memorial, where King delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech during the 1963 March on Washington, galvanizing the civil rights movement.
Cherry Hawkins traveled from Houston with her cousins and arrived at 6 a.m. to be part of the dedication. They postponed earlier plans to attend the August dedication, which was postponed because of Hurricane Irene.
“I wanted to do this for my kids and grandkids,” Ms. Hawkins said. She expects the memorial will be in their history books someday. “They can say, ’Oh, my granny did that.’”
Ms. Hawkins, her cousin DeAndrea Cooper and Ms. Cooper’s daughter Brittani Jones, 23, visited the King Memorial on Saturday after joining a march with the Rev. Al Sharpton to urge Congress to pass a jobs bill.
“You see his face in the memorial, and it’s kind of an emotional moment,” Ms. Cooper said. “It’s beautiful. They did a wonderful job.”
A stage for speakers and thousands of folding chairs were set up on a field near the memorial along with large TV screens.
Organizers anticipated as many as 50,000 people would attend. By 9 a.m., thousands of seats were filled, and attendees were greeted with bright sunshine.
The August ceremony had been expected to draw 250,000.
Even with the smaller crowd, King Memorial Foundation President Harry Johnson called Sunday “a day of fulfillment.”
About 1.5 million people are estimated to have visited the 30-foot-tall statue of King and the granite walls where 14 of his quotations are carved in stone. The memorial is the first on the National Mall honoring a black leader.
The sculpture of King with his arms crossed appears to emerge from a stone extracted from a mountain. It was carved by Chinese artist Lei Yixin. The design was inspired by a line from the famous “I Have a Dream” speech: “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.”
King’s older sister, Christine King Farris, said she witnessed a baby become “a great hero to humanity.” She said the memorial will ensure that her brother’s legacy will provide a source of inspiration worldwide for generations.
“He was my little brother, and I watched him grow and develop into a man who was destined for a special kind of greatness,” she said. To young people in the crowd, she said King’s message was that “great dreams can come true and America is the place where you can make it happen.”
King’s daughter the Rev. Bernice King said her family is proud to witness the memorial’s dedication. She said it was a long time coming and had been a priority for her mother, Coretta Scott King, who died in 2006.
Ms. King and her brother Martin Luther King III said their father’s dream is not yet realized. Mr. King said the nation has “lost its soul” when it tolerates vast economic disparities, teen bullying, and having more people of color in prison than in college.
He said the memorial should serve as a catalyst to renew his father’s fight for social and economic justice.
“The problem is the American dream of 50 years ago … has turned into a nightmare for millions of people” who have lost their jobs and homes, Mr. King said.
The choir from King’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta was among those participating in the dedication.
Poet Nikki Giovanni read her poem “In the Spirit of Martin,” and Aretha Franklin sang “Precious Lord” during the ceremony, scheduled to run for more than four hours.
Early in the program, during a rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the crowd cheered when images on screen showed Mr. Obama on the night he won the 2008 presidential election.
Organizers announced a concert will follow the dedication, featuring Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow and others.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.