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“font-family: Verdana;”>“St. Louis has had its hands in the process to make this memorial a reality in a major way,” said Ty Christian. “And everyone should be as proud of that as I am – because now a King stands between two presidents.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>He spoke of the St. Louis-based firm that was responsible for designing the lighting for the memorial. He mentioned the celebrities from St. Louis – including Nelly and Cedric The Entertainer – who gave their time and talents to promote fundraising for the project.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>But most of all, he is eternally grateful to fellow Christian Brothers College High School alumnus Harry E. Johnson Sr. – who fertilized the seed for the grand notion of Dr. King standing among the founding fathers on the National Mall in our nation’s capital.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>It was a project Johnson officially started while serving as national president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity back in 2002, though it was first discussed in the fraternity (which counted King as a member) years before.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Nearly 10 years and more than $120 million in funds raised after the campaign got underway, Johnson and his dream of honoring King became a reality.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>“I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am that a St. Louisan was spearheading the fundraising,” said Fred Sweets, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist from St. Louis and a contributing editor at The St. Louis American.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>“There is something about St. Louis that develops tremendous brothers with a lot a follow-through.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Because of their leadership, for the first time an African American has been honored with a federal monument on the National Mall.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>“Now there is someone who looks like me on the Mall,” Sweets said.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>‘Ain’t no little hurricane’
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Two weeks ago, the plan was to honor the fruits of Johnson’s labor with a ceremony that would be observed internationally with remarks by President Obama. Though Hurricane Irene forced a cancellation, thousands of Americans braved the elements to honor King in a private ceremony led by the Alphas.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN;” lang=”EN” xml:lang=”EN”>“With all the things black folk have been through, ain’t no little hurricane going to stop this,” the Rev. Joseph Lowery said at the prayer service on Saturday. He stood alongside King back in 1957 as leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference – and stood by his side back in 1963 when King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Nearly 50 years later, Lowery stood in the same spot alongside a statue of King’s likeness. “I witnessed the nation’s response to his suffering,” Lowery said. “Thank you, Jesus.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN;” lang=”EN” xml:lang=”EN”>The fact that King becomes the first non-president memorialized on the National Mall is worthy of praise.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>“Forty-eight years ago, Dr. King took to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and challenged our nation to fulfill his dream of equality for all Americans,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “On the anniversary of that speech, we are proud to add the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial to the National Park System as a lasting tribute to this American hero.” “font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN;” lang=”EN” xml:lang=”EN”>Lowery, also an Alpha, was on hand for the private dedication service that the fraternity held the day before. “font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> “It was some place I needed to be, and it was a tremendous sense of brotherhood,” said Sweets, also an Alpha. “It was honoring a great Alpha brother alongside other great Alpha brothers in the movement like Joseph Lowery, C.T. Vivian and others.” The dream as a teen Sweets was barely a teen when he first heard Dr. King speak during a fundraiser at a NNPA convention in Cleveland with his father Nathaniel Sweets, who at the time served as publisher of The St. Louis American. “What a humble and wonderful man he was,” Sweets said of Dr. King. “I gave him all the money I had in my pocket.” A few years later, as a senior in high school, Sweets went to Alabama to take part in the march from Selma to Montgomery – and revisited the march as a working journalist 20 years later. But on this day Sweets stood with his fraternity to pay homage to the monument that enshrines Dr. King and his struggle. The memorial might have the capacity to inspire and incite the same way the man himself sparked something within an adolescent Sweets so many decades before. “There’s something about seeing the face of King and his fabulous quotes,” Sweets said of the monument. “Knowing his voice and the way that he spoke, when you read the quotes you can almost hear him speaking. It’s an emotional experience to see his likeness looking over the Tidal Basin for the first time.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Christian saw visitors’ emotional experiences first-hand when the monument opened its doors. He remembered seeing one young mother carry two children through the Mall on her hip to get to Dr. King.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>“I can’t say what people are going to feel when they see it,” Christian said. “But I can assure you they will feel something. I’m just so grateful to have been a part of it all, and I’m grateful to the team that worked under the leadership of Harry to make this a reality.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>The reality of the monument will help transform the reality of the future, Sweets said. “There is a Native American saying that goes, ‘Your ancestors live as long as you think of them,’” Sweets said. “His desire for peace and brotherhood lives as long as we think of him and remember what he stands for.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Information from the Washington Post contributed to this report.
