Winning Design for King Memorial Announced

A memorial here to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. will feature the “stone of hope” and “mighty stream” of justice that King invoked in his famous speeches, sponsors said Wednesday.

Speaking at the announcement of the winning design in a contest that attracted about 900 entries and more than 1,900 artists from around the world, King’s widow said she hopes the memorial will inspire future generations to fulfill his dream.

“The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial will not only honor a great American patriot who made our democracy stronger and more inclusive,” Coretta Scott King said at a gala assembly of finalists, corporate sponsors, guests and media, “it will also provide a permanent symbolic reminder that we can continue to make America better through our ongoing commitment to the nonviolent philosophy and strategy that empowered Martin’s leadership.”

The ROMA Design Group of San Francisco won the grand prize in the competition sponsored by King’s former fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, which is coordinating the memorial effort overall, for their tribute inspired by King’s own words.

Alpha Phi Alpha has until Nov. 12, 2003, to raise money and break ground on the monument, whose ultimate cost remains unclear.

A site for the monument has been approved near the grassy National Mall between the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials. The monument would incorporate inscriptions from King’s speeches as well as tangible evocations of his oratorical images.