Obama will open a new memorial for Martin Luther King on Sunday

photo: NearTheZoo (wikipedia)

Washington - U.S. President Barack Obama will officially open the new memorial to African American activist Martin Luther King in Washington on Sunday. The ceremony was originally scheduled for August, on the anniversary of King’s famous anti-racist speech, but had to be canceled due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Irene.
The memorial is located in downtown Washington and spans nearly two hectares, featuring among other things a life-sized statue of King and a wall that commemorates King's most famous quotes in fourteen inscriptions.
The construction cost $120 million (two billion crowns) and has been in the works for the past five years, being open to the public since August. The grand opening was originally planned for August 28, coinciding with the 48th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s most famous public speech.
In August 1963, the civil rights activist and later Nobel Peace Prize laureate spoke to a demonstration in Washington attended by a quarter of a million people. A line from his speech - "I have a dream that one day my four children will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." - has become one of the most famous lines in American history.
At the Sunday ceremony, which will have a much more modest format than originally planned, besides Obama, Congressman John Lewis, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Andrew Young, and Reverend Jesse Jackson are also expected to speak.