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HAPPENINGS ON THE BUS...
From Dumas/Little Rock AR- Memphis to DC
The Edutainment Tour Recaped
Details at:
http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2011/oct/17/arkansans-bus-dc-king-memorial-debut-20111017/
Arkansans bus to D.C. for King memorial debut
By Frank Lockwood
LITTLE ROCK -- LITTLE ROCK — When President Barack Obama dedicated the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial Sunday, paying tribute to the slain civil-rights martyr, a busload of Arkansans joined in the celebration.
Students from Blytheville listened to the words of the “I Have a Dream” speech, and elders from Arkadelphia cheered for the civil-rights movement’s remaining senior statesmen - Andrew Young, Joseph Lowery, Julian Bond, Jesse Jackson and John Lewis.
The president told the crowd that King’s dream changed the course of the nation and the world.
“Because of that hopeful vision, Dr. King’s moral imagination, barricades began to fall and bigotry began to fade. New doors of opportunity swung open for an entire generation,” Obama said. “Yes, laws changed, but hearts and minds changed, as well. Look at the faces here around you, and you see an America that is more fair and more free and more just than the one Dr. King addressed that day.”
Standing near a 30-foot-tall granite sculpture of the Nobel Peace Prize winner from Georgia, Obama declared:
“As tough as times may be, I know we will overcome. I know there are better days ahead. I know this because of the man towering over us.”
The approximately 30 people in the Arkansas contingent journeyed from Dumas to Little Rock to Washington, D.C., via Memphis, where they stopped to visit that city’s Mason Temple - the sanctuary where King gave his “I Have Been to the Mountaintop” sermon on the eve of his assassination.
They arrived at the sunny but soggy West Potomac Park at 7:30 a.m., early enough to grab seats near the main stage.
They stayed and savored the entire six-hour dedication, which featured roughly two-dozen speeches and performances by Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Holiday, Sheryl Crow, James Taylor and Mary Mary.
Afterward, they walked past the monument, reading the 14 King quotations on the memorial’s inscription wall.
Arthur L. Hunt Jr., pastor of Hunt Memorial Cathedral of Faith in Dumas, helped organize the pilgrimage. He called Sunday “a day of promise.”
“To see the people who have come from Arkansas and from the Mississippi Delta in Washington is a dream come true,” Hunt said.
His wife Blanche Hunt, an associate vice president and dean at Arkansas Northeastern College, said Sunday “symbolizes hope for our nation and for our future generations. That’s why we’re here, because we believe in America, and we know that there is hope for America to get it right and keep it right.”
Charlotte Richie, 20, attended the event with her grandmother, 79-year-old Augustine Butler of Tillar.
When the choir began to sing “We Shall Overcome,” Richie, a student at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, stood to her feet to savor the moment and “experiencethe history.”
“You never know how long your grandmother’s going to be here, and having an experience like this means a lot to me,” Richie said. “I sung along, and we held hands and rocked, and I cried a little.”
Butler watched King’s “I Have a Dream” speech on television in 1963. This time, she stood in Washington and remembered trying times.
“Some of the things you see in that speech, I lived it, so I know what it was like,” Butler said. “Some people are still saying that ain’t nothing changed, but, oh, there’s been a great change.”
The King memorial dedication was supposed to take place on Aug. 28, but an Atlantic coast hurricane forced organizers to cancel the event.
The delay wreaked havoc for organizers, but it gave the Hunts enough time to charter a bus and organize what they called “the spiritual journey of a lifetime.”
Henry Wilson, 79-year-old president of the Clark County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, called the day “tremendous.”
He carried a sign urging Arkadelphia officials to name a street in honor Martin Luther King.
King’s dream remains relevant in 2011, Wilson said. “Dr. King was a man that wanted everybody to be treated equal, and that’s my desire. He wanted everyone to be treated fairly, and that’s my desire.”
Lewis, former chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, said King is worthy of Sunday’s tribute.
“Martin Luther King must be looked upon as one of the founding fathers of the new America. Because this man, this one man, not only freed a people, but he liberated a nation,” Lewis said. “He ended what the Civil War could not end. He challenged the most powerful nation on earth to meet its moral obligation.”
Lewis also thanked the many donors who helped make the $120 million monument a reality.
Wal-Mart was one of the memorial’s biggest benefactors. The Bentonville company donated $1.5 million for the memorial and also provided organizers with a $12.5 million letter of credit, enabling them to speed up the project at a critical time.
The retailer’s name is carved on the memorial’s dedication plaque, and Wal-Mart employees were on hand to celebrate the opening.
“As we honor and remember Dr. King during this weekend’s dedication, we should all be inspired by his commitment to freedom, opportunity and justice for Americans of all backgrounds,” said Sharon Orlopp, Wal-Mart’s global chief diversity officer, in a written statement. “This Memorial is a permanent testimony to the historical significance of Dr. King, his dream and the role we all must play in making his vision come to life. Through our support of the Memorial, we’re proud to help ensure the legacy of Dr. King lives on for generations to come.”
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/oct/16/memphians-see-perfect-love-mlk-memorial-dedication/
www.feelthemovement.net
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Dedication Sunday, October 16, 2011
Washington, D.C. (September 23, 2011)– The Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation's leadership today announced the ceremonial dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial will be held on Sunday, October 16. The Dedication program will begin at 9 a.m. in West Potomac Park. President Barack Obama, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, members of the King Family, and civil rights leaders are expected to participate. The Dedication, originally planned for August 28, the 4848th anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. King’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech, was postponed due to Hurricane Irene.
“We are very pleased that the Memorial is now open to the public and to date has welcomed thousands of visitors from around the globe. We are overjoyed to announce October 1616th as Dedication Day. Many have worked so long to help build this dream – a Memorial to Dr. King and his legacy,” said Harry E. Johnson, Sr., president and CEO of the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. “Due to the postponement, we are planning an event much smaller in scale but just as big in spirit.”
There will be limited, reserved seating for the official Dedication party inside the forecourt of the Memorial. The West Potomac Park viewing site is open to the public and tickets are not required. Media credentialing information will be released early next week. Previously issued media credentials are no longer valid. Visit www.feelthemovement.net. or DedicatetheDream.org for the most up-to-date information about the Dedication. The General Motors Foundation and Chevrolet will serve as Dedication Chair and Dedication Co-Chair is The Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation. Dedication Vice Chairs include Aetna, Boeing, BP, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, GE, MacFarlane Partners, McDonalds, Salamander Hotels, Travelers, Wal-Mart Stores, and Zoilëmax Foundation.
About the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.
A Memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be dedicated on October 16, 2011. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is 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 a Joint Resolution in 1996 authorizing Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to establish a Memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring Dr. King. McKissack & McKissack/ Turner Construction Company/Tompkins Builders, Inc./Gilford Corporation Joint Venture served as the Design-Build Team. For more information or to make a donation, visit www.buildthedream.org.
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