“As tough as times will be, I know we will overcome. I know there are better days ahead. I know this because of the man who towers over us.” – President Barack Obama
The dedication for the MLK Memorial this morning was poignant and moving, and President Obama’s speech was magnificent:
A woman holds up the event brochure at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial dedication ceremony in Washington, DC on October 16, 2011. The long awaited dedication of the US national memorial to slain civil rights icon Martin Luther King had been rescheduled from the 48th anniversary date of King's "I Have A Dream" speech due to Hurricane Irene. (MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images)
People wait in line during sunrise for a dedication ceremony at the Martin Luther King Memorial on the National Mall October 16, 2011 in Washington, DC. President Barack Obama, entertainers, civil rights leaders and others attend the ceremony to formally dedicate the memorial to the civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King who was assassinated in 1968. (Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)
Rev. Joe Lowrey, civil rights pioneer, speaks during the dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial, in Washington, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011. (Cliff Owen/AP)
President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Dr. Jill Biden with arms locked sing "We Will Overcome" at the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011. (Charles Dharapak/AP)
US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama (2ndR)with daughter Malia (L), Sasha(C) and mother-in-law Marian Robinson(R) visit the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial October 16, 2011 in Washington, DC. Obama hailed the "moral imagination" and "hopeful vision" of Martin Luther King on Sunday at a Washington ceremony attended by thousands to dedicate a monument to the slain civil rights icon. ( MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Aretha Franklin sings before President Barack Obama speaks during the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011. (Charles Dharapak/AP)
President Barack Obama speaks during the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011. Obama saluted King as a man who "stirred our conscience" and made the Union "more perfect," and rejoiced in the memorializing of the slain civil rights leader's life and work. (Charles Dharapak/AP)
Eldest son of Dr. King, Martin Luther King, III with wife Andrea and daughter Yolanda Renee speaks to the crowd at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Dedication ceremony in Washington, DC on October 16, 2011. The long awaited dedication of the US national memorial to slain civil rights icon Martin Luther King had been rescheduled from the 48th anniversary date of King's "I Have A Dream" speech due to Hurricane Irene. (MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images)
Tony Blackwell of Woodbridge, Va., holds up a sign as thousands gather at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial dedication in a ceremony hosted by the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation in West Potomac Park, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011. (Suchat Pederson/AP)
The Dupont Diversity Choir perform at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is dedication Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011 in a ceremony hosted by the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation in West Potomac Park. (Suchat Pederson/AP)
The Washington Monument is seen beside a video about Martin Luther King, Jr. as it is shown on a large screen during the dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial in Washington Sunday, Oct. 16, 2012. (Cliff Owen/AP)
Singer Stevie Wonder arrives before President Barack Obama speaks at the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011. (Charles Dharapak)
Jesse Jackson speaks to the media at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial dedication Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011 in a ceremony hosted by the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation in West Potomac Park. (Suchat Pederson/AP)
Second daughter and youngest child of MLK, Bernice King speaks to the crowd at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Dedication ceremony in Washington, DC on October 16, 2011. The long awaited dedication of the US national memorial to slain civil rights icon Martin Luther King had been rescheduled from the 48th anniversary date of King's "I Have A Dream" speech due to Hurricane Irene. (MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images)
The Joint Service Color Guard present the colors as Nova Nelson signs the National Anthem at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial dedication Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011 in a ceremony hosted by the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation in West Potomac Park. (Suchat Pederson/AP)
Janet Purnell, of D.C., holds up a sign as she attends the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial dedication in a ceremony hosted by the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation in West Potomac Park, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011. (Suchat Pederson)
Rev. Cal H. P. Merrell, of Atlanta, Georgia, holds a photo of Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., during a dedication ceremony at the Martin Luther King Memorial on the National Mall October 16, 2011 in Washington, DC. President Barack Obama, entertainers, civil rights leaders and others attend the ceremony to formally dedicate the memorial to the civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King who was assassinated in 1968. (Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)
US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama make their way to the stage for Obama to speak at the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial October 16, 2011 in Washington, DC. Obama hailed the "moral imagination" and "hopeful vision" of Martin Luther King on Sunday at a Washington ceremony attended by thousands to dedicate a monument to the slain civil rights icon. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
You’re welcome.
(Click Page 2 (down below “Other Posts You May Like”) for a full transcript of President Obama’s speech.)
[images via Detroit Free Press]
Thank you. I had managed to space on the fact that this was today. Seeing everyone all teary-eyed as they sang “We Shall Overcome” (a song I learned in 1st grade for an assembly at which we were spoken to by a former King aide, in about 1970-ish) makes me goose-bumply without even hearing the song.
Great post. In an amazingly strange juxtaposition, at the top of this page is a Rand Paul ad pleading for people to sign a “right to work” petition.
Thanks for these wonderful photos, ABL! Today was one of the most memorable day in my lifetime. I never imagined that I would live to see the day when Dr. King would be honored with a monument on the national mall. But even more unimaginable was that the dedication of his monument would take place during the presidency of the first Black President of the United Sates! I now realize why these two great men: Dr. King and President Obama had unshakable faith in HOPE for a better future, no matter how long it takes. October 16, 2011 was a truly one of the most special days for me. I will treasure this day all my life.
“We forget now, but during his life, Dr. King wasn’t always considered a unifying figure. Even after rising to prominence, even after winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. King was vilified by many, denounced as a rabble rouser and an agitator, a communist and a radical. He was even attacked by his own people, by those who felt he was going too fast or those who felt he was going too slow; by those who felt he shouldn’t meddle in issues like the Vietnam War or the rights of union workers. We know from his own testimony the doubts and the pain this caused him, and that the controversy that would swirl around his actions would last until the fateful day he died.”
The more things change, the more they remain the same.
Allan, I really felt strongly that President Obama could have been talking about himself during that part of his speech–and that he felt it, too. The parallels are astounding.
So true,and it was a good message for his time.
You should share some of this with the folks at Balloon Juice. No excuse for why the speech of the first Black president at the memorial dedication of MLK Jr. shouldn’t be posted over there. Very few liberal blogs covered this. very very few.
the entire event was wonderful. I have to say looking at our First Family walking around with MLK’s family – those pictures give me a goosebumps moment. and the President’s speech – he’s a man who knows and understands history, and he knows, that MLK, at his death, was the most hated man in America in a lot of quarters in this country.
Well, if you were to believe all the hipster Left blogs, angry News commentators like Rachel Maddow and Ed Shultz or Cornell West acting a fool on the Steps of the Supreme Court – Obama is spitting on the memory of King because he refuses to run down to Madison Avenue or K Street leading angry hippies with a bullhorn.
Forget the fact the President has over & over again mentioned is solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement’s demands and many of his policies address their concerns (Financial Reform, the Jobs Bill). It would be rather strange, if not down right inappropriate for a sitting President to run into the streets and join an angry mob – no matter what their concerns are. His job is to hear their concerns and address them through legislation – not getting in the streets and acting crazy. No one would respect him. Like my boss says, you, as a manager or a leader ‘Go Native’.
Sorry, the saying is “Don’t go native!” Sorry, editor timed out while I was fixing things.
I was in DC several weeks ago and got to see the memorial at that time. It is a powerful thing to see, and while I wish I could have been at the ceremony, just seeing it for myself when I was there was an amazing thing.