In 1963, Atlanta's own Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered the historic "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall. Though the official dedication won't be until Sunday the 28th, today the new Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C is open to visitors just across the Tidal Basin from the Jefferson Memorial. Not to be confused with the sprawling MLK, Jr. National Historic Site here in Atlanta, the new King Memorial in D.C. was envisioned some 27 years ago and took nearly 15 years to build following President Bill Clinton signing the original legislation proposing its creation in November of 1996. As with anything in Washington, the process was long, complicated and necessitated the raising of a lot of money. The results speak for themselves.
· Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial
· King Memorial opens to the public today [Washington Post]
· Martin Luther King Memorial Opens to The Public [NPR]