(Image Source: Marvin Joseph / The Washington Post)

BY MEGAN NOE
ANCHOR EMILY SPAIN

President Obama, Aretha Franklin, civil rights leaders and tens of thousands of others turned out to dedicate the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Sunday.

OBAMA: “Let us not be trapped by what is. We can’t be discouraged by what is, we’ve got to keep pushing for what ought to be. The America we ought to leave to our children, mindful that the hardships we face are nothing compared to those Dr. King and his fellow marchers faced 50 years ago.” (The Washington Post)

Hurricane Irene postponed the original August dedication, meaning thousands of visitors have already gotten a look at the 30-foot-tall granite sculpture, which CNN describes.

“What you have in the background is this monument, or mountain rather, and here, you have the image of Dr. King himself. And there’s a reason why it’s designed that way, why it looks like he emerged from that mountain. And that reason is something we just saw in the video, something I can zoom into here, the enscription on the side: ‘Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.’”

ABC says the 14-year road to completion hasn’t been easy.

“There’s also been controversy, first over the selection of a Chinese sculptor, Lei Yixin. Some thought the sculptor should have been African American, or at least American.”

As well as over an inscription which reads, ‘I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.’

“In his actual speech, King condemned people who act like they are a drum major, the leader. He actually said, ‘If you want to say that I am a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice.’ Maya Angelou, among others, said the truncated quote, lacking the word ‘if’, makes King appear arrogant.”

The King children approved the monument, which marks a growing number of D.C. memorials to African American contributions. A founder of the future Smithsonian African American museum tells the Kansas City Star:

"What's happening here is, finally, the world of museums and monuments are recognizing what we have known in the last 50 years, and that is the history and import of African-American culture is one of the most important things in our history...The African-American experience is a constant in defining America. The African-American story is everybody's story."

But The Washington Post reminds readers, Sunday’s celebration started with a revolution.

“There are plenty of warm feelings flowing now about King as his memorial on the Mall is officially dedicated. But remember, the reason it’s there is because his words and actions -- along with hundreds of thousands of foot soldiers -- forced people to listen.”

The 120 million dollar memorial was largely funded through donations.