The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is Especially Moving at Night

On what would have been Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 95th birthday, I’ve thought a lot about my stop at his memorial on a night tour of the national monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. in early December. While any visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is moving, it’s especially so at night. The memorial sits on a 4-acre site along the National Mall’s Tidal Basin. It’s open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and there is no fee. It is adjacent to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial and is in line of sight between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials. The official address is 1964 Independence Avenue SW in honor of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

It honors his legacy and struggle for freedom, equality, and justice. Of all the monuments and memorials we stopped at with Continental City Tours, this memorial honoring America’s greatest Civil Rights leader was the most moving for me. Even the weather on a cloudy and chilly evening added to the somber ambiance of our visit. We entered through the massive boulders, known as the Mountain of Despair, walking to the solitary Stone of Hope. I stopped for a moment to read Dr. King’s soul-stirring words from his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech: “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” The complete line from his speech is, “With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.”

As you continue around the Stone of Hope, the 30-foot statue of Dr. King gazing over the Tidal Basin comes into view. It is impactful, striking, and moving especially at night.

A 450-foot long Inscription Wall surrounds the statue of Dr. King. It features 14 quotes from his speeches, sermons, and writings. They focus on Dr. King’s four main principle of justice, democracy, hope, and love. I took a few minutes alone to read and absorb his powerful words.