Story By Michel Nolan | San Bernardino Sun
On Monday we observe what would be the 85th birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., memorialized for his vision of equality, leadership in human rights, and his nonviolent passion to end racial segregation.
He was a dreamer, a champion for all people.
King delivered a simple message, with passion. People should be treated equally, with the same respect — no more, no less. Equally.
Tributes will be paid to him all across the country, from Selma, Ala., to Stockton, Calif. — and beyond.
And it will be no less in the Inland Empire.
San Bernardino and area cities, such as Fontana, have reminders of King every day, and they are as solid as King’s message — statues.
In San Bernardino, a King statue stands at the entrance to City Hall, an 11-foot-tall, 1-ton bronze replica of the civil-rights leader in an earnest stance, his left hand on his chest.
The statue was unveiled at a dedication ceremony on Nov. 8, 1981.
The patina of the sculpture is perfect once again, thanks to last year’s restoration efforts, spearheaded by the Black Culture Foundation and enthusiastically supported by individuals and organizations throughout the community.
Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren was responsible for leading the community to raise funding for the Martin Luther King Jr. sculpture in the Lewis Library and Technology Center and Library in her city.
The statue by Steven Whyte, at the entrance to the center’s Martin Luther King Jr. Children’s Library, is known as the Column of Knowledge and is a bust of King on a stack of the books he loved. At the base of the stack is the Bible, Warren said.
“He had the ability to make people understand we have to work together — the dream has to be everyone’s dream,” she said.
In downtown Riverside, a life-size statue pays tribute to the peaceful visionary wearing ministerial robes and walking with children.
The statue is a landmark on the Historic Riverside Walking Tour.
At the base of the sculpture are the simple words: “I have a dream.”
Numerous other memorials honor him around the world. There’s the memorial in Washington. Created from white granite, the 30-foot sculpture was inspired by a line from his “I Have a Dream” speech: “… out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” King is depicted emerging from an unfinished monolith of granite. Others tributes include the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Garden statue at Cal State Fresno; Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma, Ala. the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Church in Debrecen, Hungary, the King-Luthuli Transformation Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Forest in Israel’s Southern Galilee region, the Martin Luther King Jr. School in Accra, Ghana, and the Gandhi-King Plaza (garden), at the India International Center in New Delhi, India.
Georgia lawmakers have proposed a Martin Luther King Jr. statue at the capital building in Atlanta, just a few blocks from where King was born.
Traditional tributes in the Inland Empire include the 34th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast, beginning at 7:30 a.m. Monday at the Renaissance Room of the National Orange Show Events Center, 689 S. E St., San Bernardino. Tickets are $20 for adults; $10 for children 12 and younger.
Following the breakfast is the traditional walk around the Martin Luther King Jr. statue at City Hall, 300 N. D St., San Bernardino.
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Luncheon is set for 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday at the San Bernardino Elks Lodge No. 836, 2055 Elks Drive.
There are many reminders of King and his messages of peace and brotherhood. Those reminders are with us, around us, every day in our public spaces.
And they are, indeed, rock solid.
Read the full article at San Bernardino Sun
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Reach the author at Michel.Nolan@inlandnewspapers.com or follow Michel on Twitter: @MichelNolan
Photo Credit: Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday. There are three statues of the civil rights leader in the Inland Empire: Riverside, San Bernardino and Fontana. File Photo
