Last Sunday, the world was was reminded of one of it's most inspirational leaders of the 20th century, the African American cleric, philosopher and social mobiliser, Rev. (Dr) Martin Luther King Jr. who died exactly 43 years ago this week.MELANIE EVERSLEY, of USA Today, reports the befitting honour to the monumental figure which was served, aptly, with giant monuments. The report: Although it was decades in the making, the dedication Sunday of the $120 million memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. prompted only a few tears and cracking voices.Mostly, those who knew the Baptist minister and other activists were jubilant at the event on the National Mall, which they said should be a catalyst for Americans to address the issues that drove King. Many speakers took note of the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement and called for a better response to Americans' need for jobs and better health care. Their calls prompted eruptions of applause from the tens of thousands who came to formally welcome the granite statue of King and surrounding walls with quotations from his speeches.King's confidant and former United Nations ambassador, Andrew Young accused the banking industry of 'not using their minds' but rather 'their greedy behinds.' He made reference to the Mountain of Despair and Stone of Hope, two key pieces on the site near the Tidal Basin.'There is still a spiritual movement that's still alive in America, and it was defined by the dream then, but it's also still being defined,' Young said. 'God knows there's a 'Mountain of Despair,' and we have to hew out of that 'Mountain of Despair' a 'Stone of Hope.' That's the message that the nation needs now.''This is a great movement moment in this country,' said NAACP President Benjamin Jealous, 'a moment where we are fighting to ensure that all of us have access to a job, all of us have access to justice, and that all people, regardless of where they were born, are treated with human dignity.'King's daughter, the Rev. Bernice King, said, 'I'm hoping that when people leave here that they will be reinvigorated to make a certain adjustment so we can move our society toward that beloved community' of which King spoke 'and we can move these walls of divisiveness.'President Obama, in a prodding tone like the one he used at a Congressional Black Caucus dinner last month, reminded the crowd that King did not quit when the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act did not end poverty and discrimination.'Dr. King ... didn't say, 'This is too hard,'' Obama said. 'Instead, he said let's take those victories and broaden our mission to achieve not just civil and political equality but also economic justice. Let's fight for a living wage and better schools and jobs for all who are willing to work. In other words, when met with hardship, when confronting disappointment, Dr. King refused to accept what he called the 'isness' of today. He kept pushing towards the 'oughtness' of tomorrow.'Martin Luther King III said afterward that Obama's tone was fitting. 'The president ... provided the framework for the tone that I believe America needs,' he said.The dedication, under clear skies and in balmy temperatures, was supposed to have been on Aug. 28, the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington and King's 'I Have a Dream' speech. After an earthquake evicted one pre-dedication event from the damaged Washington National Cathedral, and when Hurricane Irene escalated to a Category 4, organisers opted to postpone.Disappointment was heavy that week, but not this weekend.'This reminds me of the March on Washington 40 years ago,' said Democratic Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, a disciple of King and the only surviving key organiser of that 1963 march. 'It's almost like a holy day.'Businessman Norman Parrish, 42, drove from New Jersey with his wife and 7-month-old daughter. He is a member of King's fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, which first proposed the memorial. 'Not only are we honoring a person, our brother, but the struggle and accomplishments for the movement he symbolises,' he said. 'It's really about the journey for African Americans.' Christine King Farris, King's 84-year-old sister said, 'I stand before you today as a person who knew Martin Luther King Jr. longer than anyone now alive. He was my little brother, and I watched him grow and develop into a man who was destined for a special kind of greatness. ... Let this wonderful day mark another step toward the fulfillment of the dream.
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