Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Milestones
Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial began as an idea at a fraternity's dining room table and took 27 years of fundraising, bureaucratic wrangling and construction to become a reality. The 30-foot sculpture of the Civil Rights leader, which stands beside the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., is now open to the public.
Jan. 1984 | Members of a Silver Spring chapter of King's prestigious fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, conceive the idea of a memorial while meeting around a dining room table. Their proposal is presented at a meeting of the fraternity's board of directors. |
Nov. 1996 | President Bill Clinton signs congressional authorization proposing creation of a memorial in Washington to honor King. |
Dec. 1999 |  The National Capital Planning Commission approves a prime four-acre site for the memorial on the northwest shore of the Tidal Basin amid Washington's famous cherry trees. |
Sept. 2000 |  Roma Design Grp. of San Franciso A design submitted by the ROMA design group, of San Francisco, is selected from nearly 1,000 entries as the best one for the memorial. It features a three-part sculpture that has evolved into the current three-piece configuration with a large, central statue of King |
April 2002 | The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts votes in favor of the preliminary design. |
Dec. 2005 | The National Capital Planning Commission votes in favor of the preliminary design. |
April 2006 | The National Capital Planning Commission grants approval to proceed with final design phase. |
Nov. 2006 |  Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post Thousands, including then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), attend the ceremonial groundbreaking at the memorial's site. |
Feb. 2007 |  Courtesy Lei Yixin A Chinese master sculptor, Lei Yixin, is chosen to create the three-story-tall centerpiece statute of King, which has been named the "Stone of Hope." |
May 2008 | The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts objects that the planned sculpture is too "confrontational." A reworked design is approved a month later. |
Aug. 2008 | Preliminary site preparation begins. |
Oct. 2009 | Interior Secretary Ken Salazar signs construction permit, allowing work to proceed. |
Aug. 2010 | A cargo ship bearing the memorial's 159 granite sculpture blocks arrives in Baltimore after a 47-day voyage from China, where the stone was quarried and carved. |
Nov. 2010 | Note: Please upgrade your Flash plug-in to view our enhanced content. The most recognizable piece of the new Martin Luther King Jr. monument--the head--was placed atop the statue of the civil rights leader, in between the National Mall and the Tidal Basin on Wednesday, November 24. (AJ Chavar/The Washington Post) A giant construction crane lowers the iconic block depicting King's head and shoulders into place atop the Stone of Hope. |
April 2011 | The memorial project foundation announces that dedication has been scheduled for Aug. 28 - the 48th anniversary of the day King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington. |
June 2011 | Note: Please upgrade your Flash plug-in to view our enhanced content. Stone carver Nick Benson is carving the inscriptions into the stone of the new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial under construction near the Tidal Basin. (Michael Ruane) Rhode Island stone carver Nick Benson finishes carving King's sayings on the memorial inscription walls. |
July 2011 | Officials unveil the lighting system that illuminates the memorial at night. |
Aug. 2011 | The White House announces that President Obama, the nation's first African American chief executive, plans to speak at the memorial's Aug. 28 dedication. |
Aug. 25, 2011 | As Hurricane Irene heads toward the region, memorial officials announce the formal dedication ceremony will be postponed to a later date. |
Aug 25, 2011 | The Post's Rachel Manteuffel writes that the quote carved into the side of the monument -- "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness" -- is taken out of context, and misconstrues King's meaning. Maya Angelou, The Post's editorial board and others begin to call for a change. |
Oct. 5, 2011 | Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says he is concerned about the controversy surrounding the quote and says it will be addressed after the dedication ceremony. |
Oct. 16, 2011 | Amid fine weather, tens of thousands throng the Mall for the star-studded dedication of the memorial. In the keynote address, President Barack Obama says King was the "black preacher with no official rank or title who somehow gave voice to our deepest dreams and our most lasting ideals." |
Jan. 13, 2012 | Interior Secretary Ken Salazar tells The Post that the quote will be corrected and gives the National Park Service 30 days to consult with the King Memorial Foundation and others to come up with an alternative. |
CREDIT: Michael E. Ruane — The Washington Post. Published Aug. 18, 2011.
