Monument to Martin Luther King, Jr.

I had the privilege of seeing several monuments in D.C. at night. One of the most impressive was that of Martin Luther King, Jr. Our eyes locked, and I was reminded of Michelangelo’s imperative to his statue of David—“Speak!” The Stone of Hope, as the monument is called, represents the breakthrough in civil rights, as well as the unfinished work toward equality. King is coming free of the rock, proclaiming “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.”  But he has not fully emerged, as he accepts “finite disappointment” while encouraging others to “never lose infinite hope.”  Perhaps his words carved on the stone wall will inspire us to give all persons equal dignity and rights:  “Make a career of humanity. . . . You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.”