Almost 43 years to the day that they were first publicly spoken, the words of Martin Luther King Jr.?s famous “I Have a Dream” speech wafted over hundreds gathered Sunday to unveil Maryland?s first memorial to the slain civil rights leader.
“This memorial?s message is that this county and college is one of inclusion, not exclusion, and inspires us to get back to remembering to love everyone,” said Gerald Stansbury, president of the Anne Arundel County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
The 9-foot 6-inch bronze statue of King sits on a granite pedestal overlooking a small amphitheater on the Anne Arundel Community College campus. Behind the statue on a crescent-shaped concrete wall are five bronze plaques with quotes from King?s speeches.
Shontelle Hudson brought her two sons, Tevon Crawford, 1, and Vershawn Crawford, 3, to the afternoon ceremonies. “I brought the kids just so we could be a part of history,” Hudson said.
“It?s one of those days that you?re glad to be both races,” said 26-year-old Jennifer Hall, who said she is biracial.
Ed Dwight, the Denver, Colo.-based sculptor who made the statue, said his numerous sculpting projects based on African-American history and culture were the result of his own personal discovery of his ethnic past.
“Martin Luther King taught white folks not to be afraid of us and taught black folks to not be afraid of progress,” Dwight said. “Education is the greatest antidote to fear.”
Dwight has been commissioned to create a number of public art projects to commemorate famous figures in African American history including the Alex Haley-Kunta Kinte sculptures in downtown Annapolis and a monument to Frederick Douglass at the Douglas Museum in D.C.
A throng of elected officials and those campaigning in the September primaries also attended Sunday?s ceremonies. Retiring U.S. Sen. Paul Sarbanes, D-Md., recalled standing near the Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., 43 years ago listening to King speak.
“We must never forget his struggles, leadership and wisdom,” Sarbanes said.
