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MLK Memorial Foundation Announces Plans for August 28 MLK Memorial
Dedication
Washington, D.C. – The Washington, DC Martin Luther King,
Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. has announced
plans for the dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National
Memorial in West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. The official
dedication will occur on Sunday, August 28, 2011, the 48th
anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. King’s historic I
Have A Dream speech, beginning with a pre-dedication concert at
10 a.m. The dedication ceremony will commence at 11 a.m. and a
post-dedication concert will follow beginning at 2 p.m.
Reserved tickets to the historic event will be distributed through
an online lottery system. The public may request up to two tickets
by visiting
www.dedicatethedream.org and submitting their information
into the ticket lottery. Visitors must register by 11:59 p.m. EDT on
May 31 to be included in the lottery for the random selection
process. Ticket recipients for the seated and reserved standing
areas will be notified by email on June 15, 2011. Public standing
areas that do not require tickets will also be available.
“We are thrilled that we will be dedicating the Memorial to Dr. King
in the coming months, and the Foundation looks forward, with great
pride, to presenting this Memorial – this dream – that we’ve worked
to build, to the people. Dr. King, his life, his dream, and his
legacy, will be a source of history and inspiration for all people,
for all time,” said Harry E. Johnson, Sr., president and CEO
of the MLK Memorial Foundation. “I’m very much looking forward to
celebrating this momentous event with my fellow Americans and people
around the world who understand what this memorial stands for, and
the relevance of Dr. King’s message.”
The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial is the first on the
National Mall to honor a man of hope, a man of peace, and a man of
color. Located on the Tidal Basin, the Martin Luther King, Jr.
National Memorial creates a visual line of leadership between the
Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. The memorial will be an engaging
landscape experience conveying four fundamental and recurring themes
throughout Dr. King’s life – democracy, justice, hope, and love –
and features the use of natural elements including water, stone, and
trees. A 450-foot inscription wall will feature more than a dozen
Dr. King quotes engraved into granite to serve as a lasting
testament and reminder of Dr. King’s humanitarian vision. The
memorial will include the “Mountain of Despair” and the “Stone of
Hope,” which will feature a 30-foot sculpture of Dr. King.
To learn more about dedication plans, including events that will
take place earlier in Dedication Week, please visit
www.dedicatethedream.org.
The site will be updated frequently as Dedication planning
progresses and offer the latest available information. The Martin
Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Foundation is currently
collecting personal stories about how Dr. King affected the lives of
Americans and people around the world. All are invited to submit
memories of working alongside Dr. King, participating in the March
on Washington, and more by visiting
www.dedicatethedream.org/mystory.
General Motors Company will serve as the Dedication Chair and
Dedication Co-Chair is the Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation. For
a complete list of supporters or to make a donation, visit
www.buildthedream.org.
Media Note: For more information, photos, or to schedule interviews
with Harry Johnson, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C. Martin
Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. please
contact Dan Gregory at 202.414.0785 or
dgregory@susandavis.com.
About the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National
Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.
A Memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is being built on
the National Mall, situated adjacent to the Franklin Delano
Roosevelt Memorial, and in a direct line between the Lincoln and
Jefferson Memorials. Congress passed Joint Resolutions in 1996
authorizing Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to establish a Memorial
in Washington, D.C. honoring Dr. King. The ceremonial groundbreaking
took place on November 13, 2006. McKissack & McKissack / Turner
Construction Company / Tompkins Builders, Inc. / Gilford Corporation
Joint Venture serves as the Design-Build Team. For more information
or to make a donation, visit
www.buildthedream.org.
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