Kings Controversial Monument

Late last week, while speaking of the soon to be dedicated Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, his daughter Beatrice seemed to want to emphasize the fact that the new King memorial is larger than other memorials. that her father is depicted standing while former president Lincoln is depicted sitting. Still, there are others who have noted that the new King monument stands head and shoulders above most every other monument in Washington. Literally. The King stauary rises thirty feet, while Lincoln's seated repose only reaches 20 feet. The same for the statue of Thomas Jefferson inside his memorial. But now, one of the more cerebral black leaders has come out and openly spoken out concerning the overall appearance of the King memorial and the manner in which the man's legacy has been portrayed. and the critique is not kind.

Poet Maya Angelou says the inscription on the newly unveiled

Martin Luther King , Jr. Memorial makes the civil rights leader look like an “arrogant twit.”

The official dedication to the memorial was postponed due to Hurricane Irene, but the monument on the National Mall is open to visitors.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Angelou took aim at the inscription which reads “I was a drum major for justice, peace, and righteousness.”  The inscription paraphrases King’s famous comments delivered at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church in 1968. 
In February 1968, two months before he was killed, King said, “If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice, say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness.  And all of the other shallow things will not matter.”
Angelou told the Washington Post Tuesday that the omission of “if” in the inscription changes the meaning of King’s words.
“The quote makes Dr. Martin Luther King look like an arrogant twit,” Angelou told the Washington Post.  “He was anything but that. He was far too profound a man for that four-letter word to apply.”
Angelou is a member of the memorial’s “Dream Team,”  a group of celebrities who donated their resources and time to the memorial’s construction. She was also a personal friend of Dr. King.
“He had a humility that comes from deep inside. The ‘if’ clause that is left out is salient. Leaving it out changes the meaning completely,” she told the paper.
Angelou, 83, went on to say that the inscription “minimizes the man.” It is one of 14 quotes carved on the monument.
Emails to the King Center seeking comment about the memorial’s inscription were not returned.

My personal observations of the new monument are these. Taking into account that I have not directly seen the monument yet and I am having to rely on reports and photographs, the monument strikes me as something Egyptian in likeness. Also, it strikes me that the intent of the artist was to convey some manner of superiority to the stone figure resembling MLK. At least that is the impression that is gives me. With these latest revelations and comments by Mya Agelou? I foresee more follow up commentary by others in the community of black leadership nationally. And at some point in time? I believe that we may see a movement to have the monument re-done. We shall see.