Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr.
National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.
Sara Neumann
sneumann@susandavis.com
Darrell Jackson
darrell@thecarawaygroup.com
Participants Announced for October 16 Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Dedication
Dedication Free and Open to Public, No Tickets Required
Washington, D.C. (October 11, 2011) - The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial will be dedicated this Sunday, October 16, in a ceremony hosted by the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation in West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. The dedication activities will begin with an 8 a.m. hour-long “Morning Joy” program, emceed by Roland Martin. The Dedication program, emceed by PBS NewsHour’s Gwen Ifill, will begin at 9 a.m. and pay tribute to Dr. King with the words of noted speakers including civil rights leaders and King family members, as well as musicians and poets. President Barack Obama will deliver the dedication address.
Civil rights leaders including Julian Bond, Reverend Joseph Lowery, Congressman John Lewis, Marian Wright Edelman, Ambassador Andrew Young, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Lee A. Saunders, and Reverend Al Sharpton are scheduled to speak as well as members of the King Family and Dan Rather, who covered the civil rights movement early in his career. Musical and spoken tributes will be delivered by poet Nikki Giovanni, Mary Mary, Miri Ben-Ari and PoemCees, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and Jennifer Holliday. The Dedication Choir is a specially selected group of 75 vocalists from across the Washington metropolitan area and directed by Reverend Nolan Williams, Jr.
At 11 a.m., a ceremonial dedication will take place in the forecourt of the Memorial, and this portion of the program will be broadcast on jumbotrons in West Potomac Park. Herman “Skip” Mason, general president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Aretha Franklin, Harry Johnson, president and CEO of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Foundation, and President Barack Obama will participate. Special guests include Vice President Joe Biden, United States Trade Representative Ambassador Ron Kirk, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, and more.
“Sunday’s Dedication will be a wonderful way to celebrate the life, the dream, and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as democracy, hope, justice, and love – ecumenical tenants for which Dr. King so bravely stood, and upon which the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial was built,” said Harry E. Johnson, Sr., president and CEO of the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. “Although our plans have been scaled back, I am confident Sunday’s event will be momentous for all who join us in West Potomac Park and those who tune in from across the country and around the world to witness this long-awaited moment in our nation’s history.”
The West Potomac Park ceremony is free and open to the public. No tickets are required, and the public is encouraged to bring their own picnic blankets and chairs. Gates will open at 6 a.m. and the public may access West Potomac Park via four gates on Independence Avenue, SW. The National Park Service officially welcomed the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial as America’s 395th national park on Aug. 28, 2011, the originally scheduled Dedication date and the 48th anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. King’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech.
A complete list of Dedication Program participants follows. Visit www.DedicatetheDream.org for the most up-to-date information about the Dedication. The General Motors Foundation and Chevrolet will serve as Dedication Chair and Dedication Co-Chair is The Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation. Dedication Vice Chairs include Aetna, Boeing, BP, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, GE, MacFarlane Partners, McDonald’s, Salamander Hotels, Travelers, Wal-Mart Stores, and Zoilëmax Foundation.
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Dedication Program Participants
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Ceremonial Dedication Participants
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About the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. A Memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be dedicated on October 16, 2011. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is on the National Mall, situated adjacent to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and in a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Congress passed a Joint Resolution in 1996 authorizing Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to establish a Memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring Dr. King. McKissack & McKissack/ Turner Construction Company/Tompkins Builders, Inc./Gilford Corporation Joint Venture served as the Design-Build Team. For more information or to make a donation, visit www.buildthedream.org.
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Major League Baseball
Pat Courtney
pat.courtney@mlb.com | 212.931.7878
Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr.
National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.
Sara Neumann
sneumann@susandavis.com
Darrell Jackson
darrell@thecarawaygroup.com
Major League Baseball Donates $1M to Support Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Gift brings Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Foundation One Step Closer to Goal
Washington, D.C. (October 13, 2011) – The Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation's leadership today announced a $1 million gift from Major League Baseball. The gift will support the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. honoring Dr. King, which will be dedicated on October 16.
“We are incredibly grateful to Major League Baseball for their million dollar gift, which helps to support the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial,” said Harry E. Johnson, Sr., president and CEO of the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. “MLB’s gift brings us one step closer to raising the necessary funds to complete this historical project. To date, we have secured $117 of the $120 million needed and feel very confident that others will join MLB in helping complete the dream and honor Dr. King.”
“As a social institution with important social responsibilities, Major League Baseball is honored to stand alongside the Foundation as it commemorates the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose vision shaped American history,” said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. “Baseball’s proudest and most powerful moment occurred on April 15, 1947, when Jackie Robinson made our game complete and all of society witnessed his courage and grace on the diamond. Just as Jackie’s legacy will always echo in our game, Dr. King’s example is one for all of us to heed. We are proud to support the Memorial in the spirit of Jackie Robinson and all the pillars of our national pastime who have emulated Dr. King’s ideals: freedom, justice and opportunity for all. When the Memorial on the National Mall in our nation’s capital is dedicated next week, it is my great hope that everyone will strive to follow Dr. King’s message of peace, unity and hope.”
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is the first on the National Mall to honor a man of peace, hope, and color and has welcomed thousands of visitors since its August opening. Located on the Tidal Basin, the Memorial creates a visual line of leadership between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. The Memorial is an engaging landscape experience conveying four fundamental and recurring themes throughout Dr. King’s life – democracy, hope, justice, and love – and features the use of natural elements including water, stone, and trees. A 450-foot inscription wall features 14 quotations from Dr. King’s speeches, sermons, and writings, to serve as a lasting testament and reminder of Dr. King’s humanitarian vision. The Memorial includes the “Mountain of Despair” and the “Stone of Hope,” which features a 30-foot sculpture of Dr. King
About Major League Beseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is the oldest professional sports league in the United States and consists of 30 member clubs in the U.S. and Canada representing the highest level of professional baseball. Under the guidance of its ninth Commissioner, Allan H. (Bud) Selig, MLB has experienced dramatic changes including Interleague Play, the introduction of the Wild Card, a more comprehensive drug-testing program, significant revenue sharing among the clubs and a growth in revenue from $1.2 billion in 1992 to approximately $7.5 billion in 2011. The last eight seasons have been the best attended in MLB history and the 2011 regular season marked the fifth highest attendance in the sport’s history and the most since the 2008. MLB also continues to impact the community in meaningful ways with significant programs designed to raise funds and awareness for cancer research with partners Stand Up 2 Cancer, Susan G. Komen For the Cure, and Prostate Cancer Foundation; military veterans through Welcome Back Veterans; and youth in underserved communities through the Jackie Robinson Foundation and Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) among many other efforts. With the continued success of MLB Network and MLB Advanced Media and the 2011 launch of the MLB Fan Cave, MLB continues to find innovative ways for its fans to enjoy the National Pastime. For more information on Major League Baseball, visit www.MLB.com
About the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. A Memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be dedicated on October 16, 2011. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is on the National Mall, situated adjacent to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and in a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Congress passed a Joint Resolution in 1996 authorizing Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to establish a Memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring Dr. King. McKissack & McKissack / Turner Construction Company / Tompkins Builders, Inc. / Gilford Corporation Joint Venture serves as the Design-Build Team. For more information or to make a donation, visit www.buildthedream.org.
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Boeing Donation Accelerates Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Fundraising
Company's Second Million Dollar Gift Pushes Foundation Toward Goal
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) has donated an additional $1 million toward the effort to build a lasting memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
The gift pushes the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. closer to reaching the $120 million needed to fund the Memorial, which will be dedicated in a West Potomac Park ceremony on October 16th. Boeing helped launch fundraising activities in 2008 with another $1 million gift to the foundation.
In announcing the gift, Harry E. Johnson, Sr. president and CEO of the Memorial Foundation said he hoped the Boeing gift would generate momentum to push donations to the Foundation's $120 million goal. "We are so very grateful to our friends at Boeing for donating an additional one million dollars. We have now passed the $116 million mark and, as we prepare for the dedication of the Memorial, we're also pushing forward to conclude our fundraising activities on behalf of Dr. King's legacy and all it represents," he said.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the National Mall honors a man of peace, hope, and for the first time, of color. Located on the Tidal Basin, the Memorial creates a visual line of leadership between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. The Memorial will be an engaging landscape experience conveying four fundamental and recurring themes throughout Dr. King's life – democracy, hope, justice, and love – and features the use of natural elements including water, stone, and trees. A 450-foot inscription wall features 14 quotations from Dr. King's speeches, sermons, and writings, to serve as a lasting testament and reminder of Dr. King's humanitarian vision. The Memorial will include the "Mountain of Despair" and the "Stone of Hope," which will feature a 30-foot sculpture of Dr. King.
"We honor Dr. King as a courageous and visionary leader," Jim McNerney, Boeing chairman, president and CEO, said. "He knew that when all people have the freedom to dream big dreams, to be included and respected even during disagreement, to learn, to contribute and to achieve, we strengthen our nation for generations to come."
Boeing will join Aetna, BP, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, GE, McDonalds, Travelers, and Wal-Mart Stores as Vice Chairs for Dedication. The General Motors Foundation and Chevrolet will serve as Dedication Chair and Dedication Co-Chair is The Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation. For a complete list of supporters please visit www.buildthedream.org; to learn more about Dedication and Dedication Week activities, visit www.dedicatethedream.org.
A video featuring Boeing's chief financial officer James Bell at www.boeing.com describes Boeing's commitment to the memorial and the ideals for which it stands.
About Boeing
Boeing is the world's leading aerospace-based company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined. Additionally, Boeing has customers, products and support services in more than 150 countries around the world and is one of the largest U.S. exporters in terms of sales. Headquartered in Chicago, Boeing employs more than 164,000 people in more than 67 countries.
About the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.
A Memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is being completed on the National Mall, situated adjacent to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and in a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Congress passed a Joint Resolution in 1996 authorizing Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to establish a Memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring Dr. King. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial will be dedicated on October 16th, 2011. McKissack & McKissack / Turner Construction Company / Tompkins Builders, Inc. / Gilford Corporation Joint Venture serves as the Design-Build Team. For more information or to make a donation, visit www.buildthedream.org.
Media Contacts:
Boeing
Chaz Bickers, 312 544 2002; charles.n.bickers@boeing.com
Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr.
National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.
Sara Neumann, sneumann@susandavis.com
SOURCE Boeing; Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.
Newsroom Archive
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Foundation Announces Changes to Dedication Day Plans
Celebration Commences to Mark Dedication of Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Celebrity Co-Chairs Announced for Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Dedication
MLK Memorial Foundation Announces Plans for August 28 MLK Memorial Dedication
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