A stone sculpture honoring the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was unveiled on the National Mall in Washington D.C. today.
The gigantic ‘Stone of Hope’ sculpture of King was created by Chinese artist Lei Yixin. The statue was erected near the George Washington Monument at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. The memorial is the first on the National Mall to honor an African-American man and the first to honor a person who did not serve as president.
Engraved on one side of the statue are the words “OUT OF THE MOUNTAIN OF DESPAIR: A STONE OF HOPE.”
The monument will officially be dedicated on August 28, the 48th anniversary of King’s historic “I have a dream” speech.
When it comes time for President Barack Obama to have a statue erected in his honor he can only hope that his statue will be as impressive as this one!
Photos by AP, Getty Images, REUTERS
