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National Mall ready to take on new look

District Poised to Host Major Moment in History

District Poised to Host Major Moment in History

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

The Washington Informer

As the District excitedly prepares to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors for the Aug. 28 formal dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial -- where President Barack Obama will speak -- the MLK Memorial Foundation is equally exuberant about a dream, 14 years in the making, that has come to fruition.

"We are so thrilled that this memorial to Dr. King will grace the National Mall in this great city, the District of Columbia," said Harry Johnson, MLK Memorial Foundation president. "We are so grateful to Mayor [Vincent] Gray for his leadership and for the support of his administration and the District's residents."

According to the Foundation, the ceremony will include participation of D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray; Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), members of the King family; former U.N. ambassador Andrew Young; and the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson.

The event coincides with the 48th anniversary of King's momentous "I Have a Dream" speech that was delivered at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. Poetess Maya Angelou, the Rev. Al Sharpton, former secretary of state Colin L. Powell and TV broadcaster Tom Brokaw are also expected to participate.

The King memorial commemorates the first national honorarium for an African-American and non-U.S. president . Congress passed a resolution in 1996 which authorized construction of the 30-foot, $120 million project that was launched by the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. The memorial, which was created by Chinese master sculptor Lei Yixin, honors the slain civil rights leader's worldwide contributions to the human race.

Dedication of the Memorial will mark a major moment in history, with Gray stating during a press conference that King led a revolution which transformed the world.

"We in the District of Columbia are taking that revolution to the next level in our quest for self-determination," Gray said. "Throughout the [days] leading up to the dedication, the District of Columbia will host several events to engage residents."

Meanwhile, the city is poised to welcome some 400,000 people for events that range from the Aug. 23 D.C. Residents' Day – which will be a special preview of the massive bronze memorial to King -- to a slate of receptions and dinners, film showings, marches, exhibits, and an MLK street dedication.

The District is not the only local force gearing up for its role in history: Metro along with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) are among several local agencies and organizations that have announced plans as well.

"We have an early opening [at 5 a.m. instead of 7 a.m.] and we will be running additional services on all of our rail lines," said Metro spokesman Dan Stessel.

But Stessel said it would be difficult to know how many people would be riding both its buses and trains during the five days of events from Aug. 23-28.

"We're planning for this to be a major event, right up there with the Fourth of July," Stessel said. "What the full number [of commuters] will end up being, we just don't know exactly. There's just no way to predict that."

Stessel added that security will be tightened.

"Any time we're in a major event mode, we adjust [security] staffing levels appropriately," he said.

DDOT will ensure that traffic aligned with event routes flows as smoothly as possible.

However, the agency which manages more than 17,000 metered parking spaces, urges the crowds to walk to the memorial which is a short distance from downtown D.C. and the National Mall.

"Our primary responsibility is to the National Park Service," said DDOT spokesman John Lisle. "The main events are on the park service property and my understanding is that we're supporting what they're doing," he continued. "But we will also plan to have traffic control officers and crossing guards to help manage the heavy pedestrian crowds that are anticipated."

Lisle said officials are also trying to determine where all the buses will park as well as to make sure traffic keeps moving.

"Because on Saturday (Aug. 27) there's going to be a large march in addition to the dedication on Sunday. So we're looking for there to be a lot a people and a lot of buses," said Lisle.

The list of events includes:

• A special preview of the memorial for District residents (Tues., Aug. 23. The statue will be "cloaked" on Aug. 26 in preparation for its formal unveiling at 11 a.m. Aug. 28. )

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue Street Dedication (Thurs., Aug. 25)

• "Welcome to D.C." Reception (for out-of-town elected officials and civil rights leaders) hosted by Mayor Gray (Fri., Aug. 26)

• D.C. Full Democracy Freedom Rally and March (Sat., Aug. 27)

• Film showings, exhibits and a speaker series at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library (throughout August and September)

For more information about the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Dedication and other events, visit www.DedicatetheDream.org or contact Sara Neumann at sneumann@susandavis.com or 202.414.0788.

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