Martin Luther King, Jr. December 1964

About the Memorial

Dr. King's Spiritual Presence                                                         

Dr. Martin Luther King is remembered as a great orator whose impact on the nation came from the eloquence and inspirational quality of his words. His speeches, sermons and public addresses melded themes of democracy deeply embedded in the American conscience, and reinvigorated these messages with clear and insightful reflections on the true meaning of justice and equality.

The Jefferson Memorial as seen from the Stone of Hope.

Within the memorial, quotes from Dr. King's sermons and speeches, arranged chronologically according to his life, are to be inscribed at a large scale on the glistening smooth surfaces of the water wall. These passages will be reinforced through the referential use of water, stone and light as metaphorical elements that heighten an awareness of his message.

All of the senses will be engaged through the experience of the memorial, and, foremost, through the visual perception of space, using contrast and juxtaposition, scale and height and the bold display of carefully selected words expressing his spirit. The inspirational text and the mood created by the sound of the water, its cooling mists, and the visual complexity of its varied states together with the contrasting rough and smooth surfaces of stone, the abrupt and gradual changes in grade and the patterns of light and darkness will dramatically underscore the visual sense of the man and the qualities of courage, conviction and leadership that characterize his life and work.

Added to these powerful sensory experiences will be a sculptural representation of Dr. King himself. This is not conceived of as a pure figurative depiction of hisphysical being, separate and apart from other elements, but rather would give another dimension and layer of meaning to the experience of the memorial as a whole. Dr. King will appear as an integral part of the "Stone of Hope", as if he embodies the stone itself. He will be positioned on the side of the stone facing the Jefferson Memorial and will be gradually revealed as part of the procession towards the Tidal Basin.

"There are two types of laws: there are just laws and there are unjust laws...What is the difference between the two?...An unjust law is a man-made code that is out of harmony with the moral law...Paul Tillich has said that sin is separation. Isn't segregation an existential expression of man's tragic separtion, an expression of his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness?"

– Martin Luther King, Jr., 1963

At first, as one enters the main space, the stone will appear as a solid monumental mass, somehow cleft from the stones flanking the portal entry, but pushed forward so as to be visually juxtaposed with the Jefferson Memorial.

As one gets closer to the monolith, its rough hewn edges toward the memorial will begin to take on a vaguely familiar contour, recognizable, but not entirely clear.

Finally, as one looks back to the water wall and main space from the stone, the image of Dr. King will be fully revealed. He will be seen looking across the Tidal Basin to the Jefferson Memorial and pointing with a pencil back to his words in "The Promissory Note" as if, having just written these words, he is now standing vigil and awaiting delivery of the note. The indirect view of King and the incompleteness of his form will make his spiritual presence more powerful. This representation will stir the emotions, transcend the physical and symbolic and directly engage the imagination of the viewer.

World peace through nonviolent means is neither absurd nor unattainable. All other methods have failed. Thus we must begin anew. Nonviolence is a good starting point. Those of us who believe in this method can be voices of reason, sanity, and understanding amid the voices of violence, hatred, and emotion. We can very well set a mood of peace out of which a system of peace can be built.

– Martin Luther King, Jr. December 1964

The entire memorial invokesthe memory and spiritual presence of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through the visual experience of place, reinforced by the full range of sensory perception, the metaphorical use of water, stone and other landscape elements, the powerful display of passages from his sermons and speeches and the appearance of his physical image in the "Stone of Hope".