How to Visit the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial is planned to open in Washington D.C. in the Spring of 2008. Located next to the FDR Monument, the memorial honors and celebrates the life and work of civil rights advocate Martin Luther King Jr. The memorial was funded by private donations and brings new life to Dr. King's words "With this fate, we will be able to hew out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope."

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Expect to locate the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial on the National Mall near the Lincoln and FDR Memorials. This location is where the "I have a dream" speech was given. The memorial sits on four acres of land next to the tidal basin.
2. Plan to visit the memorial on a nice day. The MLK Memorial is an outdoor memorial with few places to duck for cover in inclement weather. The memorial plans to be open during the day and evenings.
3. Make time to walk along the upper walkway and visit the 24 niches dedicated to individuals who advocated for the civil rights movement. Each semicircular niche is meant for the visitors to stop and have their own moment of personal contemplation. They are carved from rock and are smooth in the niches while rough on the outside. This symbolizes the civil rights activists' struggle and faith as well as the beauty of what their struggles and sacrifices did to help form the stone of democracy.
4. Stop along the arching path and enjoy its many seating areas. Each area evokes a different mood thanks to the many patterns of light and water. Sometime the areas are calm and relaxing while at other times the sounds create a rushing, more uplifting feeling.

Tips & Warnings

• Some of the rock areas are intentionally left unfinished to be dedicated at a later date. This is done to symbolize the ever-growing and evolving nature of civil rights in America.