Group Makes Push to Construct MLK Jr. Statue in Montgomery
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We begin with the push to erect a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In Montgomery.
Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church is behind the project. Church leaders say they want it to be a city-wide effort.
Church leaders want to put a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. at the corner of Decatur and Washington Avenue, which is right next to the Civil Rights Memorial and the Southern Poverty Law Center. They say a statue of the Civil Rights Icon is way past due.
Confederate soldier Robert E. Lee, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and Music legend Hank Williams all have statues in their honor around the city of Montgomery.
But to the surprise of some, Montgomery doesn’t have a statue of Martin Luther King Jr., the Civil Rights leader who led the city’s bus boycott and helped organize the Selma to Montgomery March.
“Of all the cities in the country, we believe that there should be some monument.”
Pastor Cromwell Handy is on a mission to get a monument for Dr. King. He’s behind efforts to construct a statue of the Civil Rights Icon behind Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where he currently pastors and where Dr. King pastored in the 1950’s.
“We feel like this is something that has to happen in order to memorialize and bring attention to all of the contributions made by these individuals.”
The statue will cost about 250 thousand dollars and church officials have begun fundraising. But Project Manager Vera Jordan says she doesn’t want this to be just the church’s project.
“We are very blessed that people come through our doors all the time from all over the world,” she says. “They understand the significance of what Dr. King did here in the community and so we want to build on that legacy.”
The church already has the support of city leaders, who approved a resolution at Tuesday’s city council meeting, saying they will publicly support the campaign to erect the statute.
“We need to do everything that we can to start a fundraising effort so that over the next year or so, they can have that in place and so we want to be supportive of that and that’s what this resolution is doing.”
Church leaders would like the statue up this year, which marks the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March and the 60th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
If you’d like to make a donation or get involved with the project, you can do so by contacting Vera Jordan. The number to call: 334-531-7063. Tax deductible donations can be made payable to CACF-DAKM Legacy Campaign, 35 S. Court Street, Montgomery, AL 36106.
