The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial the nation’s first to honor an African-American man in Washington, DC
It is located at 1964 Independence Ave SW, an address that represents the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and sits along the Tidal Basin.
It features a 30-foot (9m) tall granite relief of Dr. King carved into a large stone along with walls of some of his famous quotes.
The statue was carved by Chinese sculptor Lei Yixin and the memorial as a whole was designed by Marshall Purnell. It was built between 2009 and 2011.
There is also a memorial gift shop and book store with a small visitor center + restrooms and water fountains.
TIP: Free Tours by Foot visits the MLK Memorial on our Tidal Basin and All-in-One DC Tours.
MLK Memorial Design
There are many overt as well as hidden symbolism contained within the memorial as a whole.
MLK Statue
Technically speaking, there is no statue at the MLK Memorial.
Rather, the centerpiece of the memorial is a 30' (9 m) tall stone block with an unfinished likeness of Martin Luther King, Jr emerging from its southern side.
Although there are no quotes from Dr. King's famous 'I have a dream' speech, this centerpiece alludes to a powerful analogy that he used in the speech to describe the importance of faith in the struggle for civil rights, that
“With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.”
The memorial's designers intended that the visitor would walk through the mountain of despair to the stone of hope.
The memorial's stone of hope appears to be quarried (hewed) from a larger stone, a slow a laborious process, much like the process to end racial segregation and discrimination in the U.S.
The stone has been pushed forward, symbolizing the forward progress in the achievement of civil rights in America.
The likeness of MLK is unfinished, just as his life was tragically cut short at just 39 years of age, and just as the movement for civil rights he helped lead is unfinished today.
King is looking south toward the horizon, paper, possibly a speech or sermon in hand, in a defiant pose, symbolizing his defiance of injustice.
Memorial Walls
The other major element of the memorial is the long arched wall filled with quotations from King's speeches and sermons.
The arched wall alludes to a sermon he delivered at the Sermon at Temple Israel of Hollywood on February 25, 1965.
In this speech, he described his confidence in the ultimate triumph of the civil rights movement in the struggle for human dignity.
"And I believe it because somehow the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice."
The wall contains quotes from the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 to King's final Sunday sermon, which took place at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC on March 31, 1968, just days before his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee.
The quotes are not listed in chronological order, designed so that the visitor can explore the memorial at his or her own pace and direction.
Other Interesting Facts About the MLK Memorial's Symbolism
The 30' height of the Stone of Hope far exceeds the customary limit of 19.5' for statues in Washington, DC.
However, the figure of MLK is a relief (similar to the presidential images on Mt. Rushmore), and thus not considered a statue.
Both the stone and the sculptor, Lei Yixin, were 'imported' from China. There were prominent voices that felt the sculptor should have been an American.
The Memorial's board, comprised mainly of African American architects, sculptors and drafters, stated that they based their decision on the content of the sculptor's talent and not on his skin color or nationality, something they felt the Dr. King would have sanctioned.
Just about every sightseeing tour in Washington, DC makes a stop at the MLK Memorial, including us, DC by Foot.
The memorial is a stop on 2 of our most popular walking tours.
- Daily National Mall Tours
- National Mall and Tidal Basin Tours
There are also several sightseeing bus tours, bike tours, and Segway tours that offer guided walks as part of their tours, including walks of the memorial.
National Park Ranger Talks
Park Rangers, as well as volunteers, provide daily “interpretive programs” on the hour every hour from 10 a.m. until 11:00 pm (23:00). These talks are free.
