The official dedication for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is scheduled for Sunday in Washington, D.C., two months after Hurricane Irene postponed the original ceremony.
This time around, the pageantry is scaled down -- the expected crowd is estimated at 50,000, down from 250,000 for the August event.
The memorial is a long-awaited monument to the slain civil rights leader and Atlanta’s most famous native son. The four-acre site, opened for visitors in August, is the first memorial for an African-American and sits on the northwest corner of the Tidal Basin. It is surrounded by memorials to former presidents.
The King memorial is more than a 20-year effort started by members of King’s fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, and continued by his widow, Coretta, and other leaders.
The dedication, originally scheduled for Aug. 28, the 48th anniversary of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, will now coincide with the 16th anniversary of the Million Man March on the National Mall on Oct. 16.
The official dedication ceremony begins at 9 a.m. at West Potomac Park. President Barack Obama will deliver remarks and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, members of the King family, and civil rights leaders are expected to participate. The ceremony is free and open to the public. http://www.dedicatethedream.org.
A pre-dedication, hourlong “Morning Joy” program, emceed by journalist and political commentator Roland Martin, begins at 8 a.m. at West Potomac Park.
Get on the bus
These local groups are sponsoring bus trips to the dedication ceremony. Contact each organization for more information.
- Cobb NAACP, bus leaves 7 p.m. Saturday, returns Monday; $60/person; 770-425-5757, www.cobbnaacp.org
- DeKalb NAACP, bus leaves 6 p.m. Saturday, returns Monday; $106/person; 404-241-8006, http://dekalbganaacp.org
- Southern Christian Leadership Conference, bus leaves 7 p.m. Friday, returns Sunday; $165/person; 404-522-1420, http://www.sclcnational.org
- National Action Network, Southeast Region, 678-732-0405
Other events
Friday: Memorial Concert -- Morehouse's musical tribute, hosted by actor Avery Brooks. Musical performances by Eddie Levert, Dennis Edwards and Johnny Gill; with presentations to Stevie Wonder and U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., 8 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD; tickets: 301-581-5100, http://www.strathmore.org/eventstickets/calendar/view.asp?id=7902
Saturday: Mass March for Jobs and Justice -- the Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network will lead a march and rally with national leaders and clergy members. 11 a.m., National Sylvan Theater, 15th Street and Independence Avenue, Washington, D.C. 1-877-626-4651, http://nationalactionnetwork.net
Saturday: The Dream Gala -- an invitation-only event sponsored by the MLK Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation. 6 p.m. at the Washington Hilton. http://www.dedicatethedream.org
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