The official dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial is set for today in Washington, DC. When thinking about King, the thing that always comes to mind for me is a sense of a grand dignity that demnded respect even from those who stood in direct opposition to the things for which he stood. It manifested itself in a steadfast and calm manner that really evoked the righteousness of his cause. At least, that’s what comes to my mind. Qualities that we all should aspire to, especially those who choose public service as a career.
I came across this wonderful version of the gospel song, Lord Don’t Move the Mountain, by the great Mahalia Jackson that really seemed to fit the day and the occasion. I was not raised with religion or faith as large parts of my life but I am moved by the faith that is evident in the power of Mahalia Jackson’s singing on this song and several others. Like I wrote of King above, there is a grand dignity to it.
Redtree Times 
That’s the first picture I’ve seen of the monument (er, memorial) and I have to say that my first impression was that it was a statue of Chairman Mao. It also seems, somehow, “Egyptian” (think Abu Simbel). And the folded arms seem oddly out of character. Finally, at least from this angle, it doesn’t much look like MLK.
Turns out the sculptor is Chinese (not Chinese-American) and the statue is not without controversy. Of course that’s to be expected but I think the criticism here is much more to the point than, say, the initial knee-jerk response to Maya Lin’s amazing Vietnam Memorial (“the Wall”).
I think this article from The Economist, and some of the associated comments, reflect my own reservations.
Or maybe it’s simply a bad picture and a personal visit is required. There is certainly no substitute, for example, for seeing the Vietnam Memorial “up close and personal”. Until then, here’s a video tour:
There is also the controversyover the inscription on one side of the monument, a paraphrased version of a line from a 1968 speech that Maya Angelou says makes King look like an arrogant twit in its current form. She is pushing for it to be changed.
I didn’t really want to address this controversy or those you mentioned or even critique the memorial without first seeing for myself, because I saw many of the same things that you mention. I wanted to speak more of the spirit of the whole thing, the perceptions of the man and his legacy that we carry forward. As with looking at the statue, it would be easy to point out the flaws in King as a man (something we do for any individual on a too regular basis) and I wanted to focus on the parts that we celebrate.