Atlanta Unveils A New Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Statue

Photo Credit: Stephen F. Somerstein

With what seems like perfect timing with the latest controversy on race relations and Confederate statues, Atlanta just revealed a major tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:

The daughter of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. stood beside her father’s newly unveiled statue Monday, just a few blocks from where he grew up, handing out hugs and telling each well-wisher: “It’s about time.” The statue paying tribute to King made its public debut Monday morning on the Georgia Capitol grounds in front of around 800 people including Gov. Nathan Deal, many other state political leaders and several members of the King family. The sculpture’s installation comes more than three years after Georgia lawmakers endorsed the project. A replica of the nation’s Liberty Bell tolled three times before the 8-foot (2.4-meter) bronze statue was unveiled on the 54th anniversary of King’s “I have a dream” speech at the 1963 March on Washington. The statue depicts King in mid-stride, as his left arm holds an overcoat while grasping a batch of papers. ?: @ap.images #MLK #martinlutherkingjr #berniceking #atlanta #georgia #georgiacapitol #nathandeal #libertybell #statue #tribute #politics

A post shared by POLITICO (@politico) on Aug 28, 2017 at 12:01pm PDT

The newest statue in downtown Atlanta on the 54th anniversary of the legendary “I Have A Dream” speech by the late great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Thank you State Rep Calvin Smyre for passing the bill to sponsor this statue on Capitol grounds in Atlanta! #MLKStatue #IHaveADream #DrKing #BerniceKing #21atl #21Lifestyle

A post shared by 21 ATLANTA (@21atl) on Aug 28, 2017 at 1:36pm PDT

According to sources, the daughter of Dr. King, Rev. Bernice King tells the press:

“Forty-nine years ago when my father was assassinated, he was the most hated man in America. Today, he is one of the most loved men in the world.”

Apparently the newly erected statue showing Dr. King holding a batch of papers and an overcoat in his left arm, was not easy to come by. The AJC reports that first, city officials had to get permission from King’s family to use his likeness and then, the initially selected designer for the statue passed away in a motorcycle accident. Ultimately, Martin Dawe was chosen as the replacement.

Dawe, aware of other criticisms of other MLK tributes, set out to make sure that the sculpture actually looked like him. Do you think he nailed it?

TELL US: How do you feel about this MLK statue reveal?

Celebrating Coretta Scott King on Her 93rd Birthday