Campaign for King Memorial
 

Mon May 12, 2003 7:54 am
Subject: STARS BACK CAMPAIGN KING MEMORIAL




Stars back campaign for King Memorial

By Verity Murphy
BBC News Online

Forced to the back - Halle takes her place in the 'coloured section' What if Martin Luther King had not "had a dream" and the civil rights movement in the United States had never fought their campaign for equality? That is the question being put to Americans in a series of thought-provoking adverts that will hit their televisions, radio and newspapers this week.

In one a smartly dressed Halle Berry is seen arriving at a restaurant flanked by two friends - only for the Oscar winning actress to be escorted to the back of the building to sit in the "coloured section". The ad-campaign featuring African-American stars, such as cinema veteran Morgan Freeman, is the first phase in a new campaign to raise the money needed for a national memorial to Martin Luther King in Washington.

The time has come for Dr King to take his rightful place alongside so many other great Americans. Said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist In another of the adverts American weatherman and entertainer Al Roker is shown walking around a gym, unable to find a running treadmill that is not marked "white guests only".

While print advertisements feature images of a bank cash machine bearing a sign that reads "no coloureds, Hispanics or Jews," and a subway train with seats marked "priority seating for white passengers only".

Aim to educate

The shocking images may seem a little far fetched in this day and age, but prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 such segregation was matter of daily life for some Americans. The public service adverts have been put together free of charge by Saatchi and Saatchi, an agency with a reputation for shock tactics.

No room at the gym for TV personality Al Roker It is hoped that they will help pull in the estimated $100m needed to build a memorial near The Mall in Washington to pay tribute to the civil rights campaigner, who was assassinated in 1968.

According to Harry Johnson, president of the Martin Luther King Jr National Memorial Project Foundation, the memorial will allow people from all backgrounds and ages to understand the sacrifice made by Martin Luther King and other campaigners for civil rights.

The landscaped memorial will cover a four acre triangle on the shores of the Washington Tidal Basin, alongside the memorials built to commemorate other great American leaders such as Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln.

Tireless campaign

Mr Johnson says that the foundation has already secured $20m to $25m in donations for the project, but with the help of the advertising campaign they hope to raise the rest of the money needed to break ground at the site late in 2004. Originally the US Congress set a deadline of 2003 for the project to be completed when it gave approval to the project in 1998, but that deadline has been extended for a further three years.

Dr King is one of history's most revered advocates of non-violent social change
"The time has come for Dr King to take his rightful place alongside so many other great Americans," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, one of several members supporting the campaign.

The son of a Baptist minister born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929, Martin Luther King grew up in a strictly segregated town where schools, buses and even sandwich counters were divided.

Spurred on by a desire for equality he organized campaigns for equal rights throughout the 1960s, encouraged black people not to give up their seats to white people on board buses in Alabama, and was jailed 19 times for opposing segregation and white supremacy.

In August 1963, Martin Luther King organized a march on Washington which became the largest protest rally in American history attracting more than 250,000 demonstrators. It provided the platform for his famous speech, "I have a dream", used to summon the nation's sense of injustice.

For his tireless efforts Martin Luther King became one of the one of history's most revered advocates of non-violent social change and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was shot dead at the age of 39 as he stood on the balcony of a hotel in Tennessee.

Brothers
 

if you recall - we were asked to pay $250 or $300 over a two year period to help with the cost.

i can't wait to see the ads.

Tude - where are you getting your hook-up. you sure are in the know.

Re: Brothers
 

See, I thought the only reason the memorial went on hold was because of 9/11. :confused:

Re: Brothers
 

;)

You would like to know wouldn't you?

Seriously, I got this from a GSU listserve where one of your brothers is the host.

:D

These commercials were shown to us at the Southern Regional Conference in Mississippi back in March. The commercials are produced by the Ad Council who have been the producers of famous ads through the years like Smokey Bear's "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires", The Crash Test Dummies: "You Could Learn A lot from a Dummy", McGruff the Crime Dog's: "Take A Bite Out of Crime", and of course, "A Mind is a Terrible Thing To Waste", and "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk" - just to name a few.

The real beauty in all of this is that the advertising was provided to us for FREE!!

I believe that Bro. Johnson said that it is about $1Billion worth of advertising being provided for the cause.

:cool:

Bro Johnson did state at Eastern Region convention that another bonus are the celebs we have doing the ads. I think this can send the Memorial on it's way!

What in the world are they planning to build that justifies $100M expense?

I'm all for a memorial but I'm sure this is not how MLK jr would want monies used - especially at a time when resources are scarce and service programs have been cut left and right.

Has anyone seen a proposed budget?

There is a public budget and the 100 million dollars is NOT government or public money it is money that is to be raised by the foundation.

Architects hired for MLK Memorial
Wednesday, February 18, 2004 Posted: 6:56 PM EST (2356 GMT)



Dr. Edward Jackson Jr. discusses the joint architectural venture for the planning and design of the memorial.




WASHINGTON (AP) -- Promoters of a Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial for the nation's capital introduced the project's architects Wednesday and announced they have almost half the money needed to break ground.

The King Memorial Foundation has raised more than $29 million for the project and expects to have at least $4 million more by the end of next month, said its president, Harry Johnson.

Congress has given the foundation an extension until 2006 to collect $67 million of the anticipated $100 million total cost of the project and begin construction.

Two architecture firms are joining forces to finish planning the structure -- Washington-based Devrouax & Purnell and San Francisco-based ROMA Design Group, which in 2000 submitted the winning design out of more than 900 entries.

"We have a design concept we are extremely proud to present to the citizens of this world," said Ed Jackson Jr., the executive architect for the project. "It will be a living memorial, one that speaks to future generations about peace, justice, hope and love."

The architects said their ideal design remains almost identical to the original, although they're considering changes to add extra security and traffic control should they be required.

The landscaped memorial would cover a four-acre triangle on the shore of Washington's Tidal Basin, between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials and next to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial. It would include an elevated walkway overlooking the basin, a huge stone marker in King's likeness and numerous oak, pine, magnolia and cherry trees.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...0896753.htm?1c

www.mlkmemorial.org

Re: Ingredients Request for AKA2D '91
 

Hotep Brothers. One can RUN but CANNOT HIDE. Hello AKA2D '91. The ILLINI are now 26-0, 12-0. I thought you would be interested in their quest for the NCAA Crown that will be claimed by them very soon. Please take notice that I like lots of seafood in my gumbo. I "aint" down with just a pot of chicken wings. I want jumbo shrimps, crab legs, etc. Have a nice day.:cool:

the ads are not running in nc - perhaps jesse helms wont' stand for it.

But what is it used for? Not for just a statue right?

-Rudey

Groundbreaking Ceremony Events
 

>
> Ceremonial Groundbreaking Events
> (Embedded image moved to
> file: pic19297.gif)
> Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. (Embedded image moved to
> National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. file: pic21433.gif)
>
>
> November 12-13, 2006 (Embedded image moved to
> Washington, DC file: pic15140.jpg)
> Hotel Accommodations
> Frequently Asked Questions
>
> Overview of the Events
>
>
> Welcome Reception
>
>
> Sunday, November 12, 2006
> Time: 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
> J. W. Marriott Hotel
> 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW - Washington, DC
>
>
>
>
>
> Kids for King Welcome Reception
>
>
> Sunday, November 12, 2006
> Time: 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
> J. W. Marriott Hotel
> 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW - Washington, DC
>
>
>
>
>
> Ceremonial Groundbreaking
>
>
> Monday, November 13, 2006
> Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
> Site of the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial
> Independence Avenue and West Basin Drive
> National Mall - Washington, DC
>
>
> This is a national event slated to accommodate 5,000 guests. Plans are to include
> Government Officials, Greek Letter Organizations, Corporate Donors, Celebrities,
> Families and Friends.
>
>
> Special Note to the Members of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity: Upon arriving at the
> Ceremonial Groundbreaking, please check-in at the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity VIP Tent
> to receive your Groundbreaking tickets and directions to the VIP section.
>
>
>
>
>
> Alpha Phi Alpha Reception
>
>
> Monday, November 13, 2006
> Time: 2:00 p.m. - 4 p.m.
> J. W. Marriott Hotel
> 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW - Washington, DC
>
>
>
>
>
> National Dream Dinner
>
>
> Monday, November 13, 2006
> 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Dinner & Perfomance
> John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
> 2700 F Street, NW - Washington, DC
>
>
> The National Dream Dinner is a fundraising event with limited seating for 500 guests.
>
>
> Black tie is optional. Entertainment and celebrity guests to be announced.
>
>
> For ticket information please contact Stewart Berger at 202-547-5797 or
> stewart@hirschbergerstrategies.com .
>
>
>
>
>
> Continental Airlines - Official airline sponsor of the Washington, DC Martin Luther
> King, Jr. National Memorial Ceremonial Groundbreaking.
>
>
> Transportation to the Ceremonial Groundbreaking will be available from the John F.
> Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. They are located at New Hampshire Avenue and F
> Street, NW, Washington, DC.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> © 2006 Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr.
> National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
> 401 F Street, NW, Suite 334 | Washington, DC 20001 | 1.888.484.3373
>
>