Groundbreaking for this memorial devoted to Dr. King took place September 10, 2010, as part of Southeast Community Day, with his daughter, Dr. Bernice A. King, national president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, as keynote speaker, and the completed plaza was dedicated May 17, 2014, with the unveiling of the bronze sculpture. The park was conceived as a graded path rising from the entrance to a reflective wall and then descending gently toward the city, signifying how Dr. King made the way easier for all, while a perimeter walkway encircles the main path with shade trees, seating, and walls bearing his quotes for reflection and contemplation. Its amphitheater-style setting was intended as an outdoor church for renewal of the spirit. The visual centerpiece is the bas-relief on the wall by sculptor Ed Hamilton, titled The Unfinished March, which recalls the many marches Dr. King led and is meant to inspire people to see that the journey has not ended, to take their place in the march, and to continue paving the way for others. At the center is Dr. King as leader and visionary, followed by several other unfinished figures representing the foot soldiers, men, women, and children who stepped out to make his dream a reality. The plaza honors not only Dr. King’s life and contributions but also the countless Americans who struggled and sacrificed to achieve the vision he articulated. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American pastor, activist, humanitarian, and leader best known for advancing civil rights through nonviolent civil disobedience grounded in his Christian belief; Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a federal holiday in 1986, hundreds of streets in the United States have been renamed in his honor, including part of 25th Street in Newport News, and numerous memorials have been created across the country to recognize his achievements.
