On January 15th, 1929, a leader was born. A son to a pastor and a father to a movement, Martin Luther King Jr. would lead millions to civil rights. King was native to Atlanta, Georgia. The King Center, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park and National Center for Civil and Human Rights work to spread his message and legacy, as well as the memorial in Washington, D.C.
Now, within the upcoming Rodney Cook Sr. Peace Park, his statue and a “Peace Column” will do the same.
The site for the park is located one block from Historic Sunset Avenue, on which is the home of Dr. Martin Luther King. The National Monuments Foundation has choreographed the purchase of the adjacent Martin Luther King, Jr. Life Home by the National Park Service to be restored as a house museum, according to their site. The park will also feature Dr. King’s statue, which will be one among the 18 dedicated to Georgia peacemakers.
World Peace Revival – Statue Reveal from World Peace Revival on Vimeo.
The World Peace Revival works to turn division into unity and inspire peace, inspired by the belief of Martin Luther King, Jr. himself.
“The project represents collaboration between the City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation, the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management, The National Monuments Foundation, The Trust for Public Land, City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office, and the community. The National Monuments Foundation’s component includes the Peace Column, which will contain the 8,000 volume CT Vivian and 3,000 King family libraries, the Georgia Nobel Peace Pantheon on the park’s highest hill (if Georgia were a nation, she would be #5 in Nobel Peace Laureates), the Ambassador Andrew Young Peace Institute, and 18 statues to Georgia peacemakers that were chosen by the community. Cook Park’s purpose is to showcase Georgia’s legacy of peace since our founding in 1733,” says the National Monument Foundation Website.
While his birthday was January 15th, King National Holiday falls on the third Monday of January every year. It is observed in all 50 states and was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983.
As president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), King organized nonviolent protests across southern states as well as lead the 1963 March on Washington.
During his lifetime, King was arrested upwards of twenty times, awarded five honorary degrees, named Man of the Year by Time Magazine, and became a symbolic leader. King won the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting racial inequality with nonviolence in 1964, and was monumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
SOURCES:
The King Center
Stanford University The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education InstituteNobel Peace Prize
While his mission was undeniably altruistic, much controversy had and has surrounded him (such as the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., Records Collection Act or the sealed tapes in the US National Archives set for release in 2027). Though nothing has yet to be undeniably solidified or proven.
