On Monday, August 22, many Washington, D.C. tourists had the opportunity to get a first look at the new monument dedicated to the late civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The new 30-foot-tall granite statue stands on 4 acres of the National Mall and overlooks the Tidal Basin.
Since its debut there has been a bit of a controversy over a certain feature of the monument. On the north side of the statue, there is an inscription of a quote taken from King’s powerful 1968 sermon at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church. An excerpt of the speech was engraved, saying: “I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.”
Poet Maya Angelou has since addressed her disappointment in the choice of words and called the monument’s feature “misleading”:
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