The first family — President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle, the first daughters Sasha and Malia, as well as Grandma Marion — attended the official unveiling of the brand new Dr. Martin Luther King National Memorial in Washington, D.C. Sunday (Oct 16).
The dedication ceremony, held at the Washington Mall, was also attended by notable figures like Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Cicely Tyson, Diahann Carroll, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and others.
The ceremony was originally scheduled to take place on August 28th, but was postponed due to Hurricane Irene.
“Nearly 50 years after the March on Washington, our work — Dr. King’s work — is not yet complete,” President Barack Obama noted in his speach. “Progress was purchased through enduring the smack of billy clubs and the blast of fire hoses. It was bought with days in jail cells and nights of bomb threats.”
President Obama continued, “Let us not be trapped by what is. We can’t be discouraged by what is. We’ve got to keep pushing for what ought to be. [Dr. King] will stand for all time, among monuments to those who fathered this nation and those who defended it. A black preacher, no official rank or title, somehow gave voice to our deepest dreams and our most lasting ideas.[…]I know we will overcome. I know there are better days ahead. I know this because of the man towering over us.”
