Civil Rights Movement - Large Crowd Honors King's Dream Memorial Dedication

They were witnessing the formal dedication of the King memorial, which opened in August.

The lions of the civil rights movement the Rev. Joseph Lowery , Rep. John Lewis , Andrew Young and others shared their history with young people who know King only from school lessons and the recollections of their parents and grandparents.

INTERACTIVE: Memorial: A closer look PHOTOS: Dedication visitors

Christine King Farris , King's 84-year-old sister, said, "Brother Martin takes his symbolic place on the National Mall near America's greatest presidents. Let this wonderful day mark another step toward the fulfillment of the dream."

Lewis, a Democratic congressman from Georgia, noted that he is the only person still living who spoke at the "Jobs and Justice" march in 1963 where King gave his "I Have A Dream" speech.

Had it not been for King's philosophy of peace and his insistence that non-violent resistance be based on "brotherly love," Lewis said, "this would be a diffent nation. We would be living in a different place today."

He said, "One man not only freed a people, he liberated a nation."

Rev. Joseph Lowery, the 90-year-old co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference , said King gave birth to a "new America."

"This marvelous present is imperiled today by forces that have come to turn back the clock. But we want to make sure they understand that we have marched too far, prayed too hard, wept too bitterly, bled too profusely, and died too young to let anybody turn back the clock on our journey," he said.

He concluded, "As tough as times may be, I know we will overcome. I know there are better days ahead. Let us keep striving. Let us keep struggling. Let us keep climbing to that promised land, a nation and a world that is more fair and more equal for every single child of God."

The nation's foundering economy was an undercurrent of the program.

The Rev. Al Sharpton , like other speakers, said a struggle for economic justice goes on: "Justice is not 1% of the country controlling 40% of the wealth."

As Congress and Obama dispute how to reduce the federal deficit and target programs like Medicare, Sharpton said, "This is not about Obama, this is about our mama, and we're going to vote like we never voted before."

Martin Luther King I , King's son, said it is important "not to place too much emphasis on Martin Luther King the idol, and not enough on the ideals of Martin Luther King." King, who was joined on the stage by his wife, Arndrea, and daughter, Yolanda, said the nation needs a new dream that targets racism, poverty and militarism. "We can't be free," he said, "unless we are all free."

The Rev. Bernice King , King's daughter, noted that her father was actively involved in a campaign for poor people when he died. She said he would be supportive now of protests by the poor and the unemployed.

"I hear my father say we must have a radical revolution of values and a reordering of our priorities in this nation," she said. "I hear my father say, as we dedicate this monument, we must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society, to a person-oriented society."

Politics was interspersed with entertainment, but with a message. The PoemCees and violinist Miri Ben-Ari performed a rap, reminding the crowd of the 381-day Montgomery bus boycott King helped lead and declaring that, regardless of how visitors may have traveled to the event, "We all took the bus here today."

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 symbolizes," he said. "It's really about the journey for African Americans. The whole history of African Americans is symbolized by this memorial. This is a thread in the fabric of America. Having this memorial makes us a little more integrated as a society. A lot of times we don't feel like it. This is a way of putting our stamp in America. We are a part of you. I want my children to know they are reflected here in America, that they are an integral part of this society."

Shahid Elamin, 61, a mental health specialist in South Carolina , drove eight hours to be at the dedication. He said the King memorial is "a benefit for people who didn't know what he represented." Elamin recalled watching King's "I Have a Dream" speech as a 13-year-old.

"It was inspiring," he said. "It gave me another perspective."

Maria Hunter, 39, an eighth-grade social studies teacher, drove eight hours from She plans to visit with her class in May.

"I hope they'll get his impact," she said. "It's hard communicating because they don't know any different."

Au pair Julia Krumboeck, 20, from Austria, said the emotional event gave her goosebumps.

Elizabeth Jordan, 57, of Neptune, N.J., said the dedication is a "historic moment. It's something I never thought I'd see the memorial, a black president. The dream is finally coming alive."

Controversy about the memorial was set aside for the day. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, whose agency helped oversee the construction of the memorial, declined to address the dust-up over the drum major quote, one of 14 inscribed on the memorial.

It says, "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness." Critics including poet Maya Angelou say the paraphrase does not accurately reflect what King said and makes him look arrogant.

The actual quote, delivered in a sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church: "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."

Salazar has said he would revisit the issue of inscription after the dedication.