On October 16th, 2011, the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial was commemorated on the edge of the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. King, one of the most influential leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, has for decades since his untimely death in 1968 been considered one of the most influential and inspiring Americans in our nation’s history.

In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed legislation prompting the establishment of a memorial to King in the Constitutional Gardens, right next to the FDR Memorial. In fact, the memorial is located directly on a sight-line linking the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials. The memorial took almost 15 years to complete, due mainly to lack of funding. On August 22nd of this year, the Memorial was opened to the public. It’s commemoration was originally scheduled for August 28th, the 48th anniversary of King’s famous “I Have a Dream” Speech, but was postponed to October due to Hurricane Irene.

In 2000, ROMA Architecture Group was chosen to design and build the monument. The monument depicts a large stone sculpture, sculpted by Lei Yixin, depicting King with his arms crossed protruding from a “mountain” in the background. Kings position and “mountain” are meant to invoke a famous line from his “I Have a Dream” Speech, which says, “out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” King is meant to be the “stone of hope” emerging from the “mountain of despair.”

Since King’s death in Memphis on April 4th, 1968, students have been taught about his vast contributions to the Civil Rights Movement, and his influence in passing the 1964 Civil Rights Act (the Memorial is located at 1964 Independence Ave. S.W., in commemoration of his contributions to the Act). At HHS, while most students would only visit the Memorial if they found themselves on the National Mall with some time to kill, virtually everyone agrees that having a Memorial is important for this country.

“It gives us a reminder of the way people stood up against oppression in the past, and it gives us a tangible inspiration through King, “ sophomore Evan Yoder said. Senior Lindsay Carpenter agrees.

“Martin Luther King, Jr., was an inspiration in America that deserves to be recognized for his accomplishments and contributions,” Carpenter said.

King is one of four non-presidential citizens recognized on the Mall, which senior Evan Shank believes speaks to his influence and and legacy, for his memorial was commemorated almost half-a-century after his death.

“I think [the Memorial] really speaks to his importance. Even though he never had a title like President, he is still recognized in the same way they are, “ Shank said.