Thousands Honor MLK At Ceremony

MLK_Memorial.jpgBy BRETT ZONGKER (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON — Thousands of people spanning all ages and races honored the legacy of the nation’s foremost civil rights leader during Sunday’s formal dedication of the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington.

Aretha Franklin, poet Nikki Giovanni and President Barack Obama were among those who attended the more than four-hour ceremony. King’s children and other leaders spoke before the president, invoking his ”I Have a Dream” speech and calling upon a new generation to help fully realize that dream.

Some in the crowd arrived as early as 5 a.m., and the crowd eventually overflowed beyond the park gates. Some women wore large Sunday hats for the occasion.

The president arrived late morning with his wife and two daughters, which drew loud cheers from those watching his entrance on large screens.

Cherry Hawkins traveled from Houston with her cousins and arrived at 6 a.m. to be part of the dedication. They postponed earlier plans to attend the August dedication, which was postponed because of Hurricane Irene.

”I wanted to do this for my kids and grandkids,” Hawkins said. She expects the memorial will be in their history books someday. ”They can say, ‘Oh, my granny did that.”’

Hawkins, her cousin, DeAndrea Cooper, and Cooper’s daughter, Brittani Jones, 23, visited the King Memorial on Saturday after joining a march with the Rev. Al Sharpton to urge Congress to pass a jobs bill.

”You see his face in the memorial, and it’s kind of an emotional moment,” Cooper said. ”It’s beautiful. They did a wonderful job.”

A stage for speakers and thousands of folding chairs were set up on a field near the memorial along with large TV screens. Most of the 10,000 chairs set out appeared to be full. Many other people were standing.

The August ceremony had been expected to draw 250,000, though organizers anticipated over 50,000 for Sunday’s event.

Actress Cicely Tyson said her contemporaries are passing the torch to a new generation and passed the microphone to 12-year-old Amandla Stenberg. The girl recalled learning about the Civil Rights Movement in school and named

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