King Memorial Dedication postponed due to Hurricane Irene

Washington (August 25, 2011) – This evening Harry E. Johnson, Sr. president and CEO of the Washington DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. released the following statement about Dedication Day.

Thank you for coming back this evening for a further update on our Dedication plans. In consultation with the National Park Service, the Mayor’s office and FEMA, it is with a heavy heart and enormous disappointment that we announce that, in the interest of public safety, we are forced to change our plans.

Here is the new schedule. First, the Friday schedule will continue as planned. Second, on Saturday we will hold the National Prayer Service at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. This will be the final official event of the Dedication week.

We have worked with the Park Service to ensure that the Memorial will be open to the public, weather permitting, on Saturday. The Memorial will be open Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 12 noon.

Finally, the official Dedication ceremony will be moved to a date yet determined in September or October. We will announce those details when we have them. For now, we wanted to make sure you had this information as soon as possible.

So many worked tirelessly to dedicate the dream and make this Memorial a reality. We owe a special debt of gratitude to the Foundation staff, our generous sponsors, and to you, the public.

In the words of Dr. King, “we must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” With that in mind, let’s remember the spirit of the Memorial – justice, democracy, hope and love.


Dedication Event Schedule:

Friday, August 26, 2011

Partners In the Dream (Exhibit Hall) MLK Store
Washington Convention Center
Hall D
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Women Who Dare To Dream Luncheon
Washington Convention Center
12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

National Prayer Service
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial will be open to the public on the Friday, August 25 from noon until 10 p.m. and Saturday, August 26 from 8 a.m. to noon.

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For more information about the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, please visit http://www.dedicatethedream.org/