MIAMI — The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has given $1 million to support building the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall. The donation was announced Thursday at a memorial fundraiser headlined by former President Bill Clinton.
“Dr. King had the courage, vision and tenacity to move the nation and the world toward a free and just society,” said Anne Corriston, Knight Foundation’s Wichita program director. Wichita is one of 26 U.S. communities in which Knight Foundation invests.
“This memorial will serve as a reminder of Dr. King’s transformational impact, which is an inspiration for our work at Knight Foundation,” Corriston said. “I urge everyone in Wichita to visit www.buildthedream.org and learn more about how to make a donation to this important tribute.”
At the memorial fundraiser, Knights President Alberto Ibargüen presented President Clinton with an award on behalf of the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation.
Clinton was honored for his key role in the memorial’s inception and his continued support of the memorial. In 1998, Clinton signed a Joint Congressional Resolution authorizing the memorial’s construction and in 2006 participated in the ceremonial groundbreaking. Clinton also has served on the Memorial Foundation’s President’s Council for several years.
“As we approach what would have been Dr. King’s 80th birthday, we can be proud of the progress we’ve made as a nation to lift racial barriers and form a more perfect union, Clinton, the keynote speaker at the dinner in Miami, where Knight Foundation is headquartered, said. Never before have we had the power we have today to make Dr. King’s dream a reality, and together, we can build a more just and equal world for future generations.”
The Memorial Foundation has a hosted a series of Dream Dinners nationwide including in: Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and San Francisco. To date, donors have given $102 million of the $120 million needed for the memorial.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes journalism excellence worldwide and invests in the vitality of the U.S. communities where the Knight brothers once owned newspapers. Knight Foundation invests in ideas and projects that can lead to transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.
About the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.
A Memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be built on the National Mall, situated adjacent to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and in a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Congress passed Joint Resolutions in 1996 authorizing Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to establish a Memorial honoring Dr. King to be built in Washington, D.C. The ceremonial groundbreaking took place on November 13, 2006 and the Memorial will be completed in 2010. McKissack & McKissack / Turner Construction Company / Gilford Corporation / Tompkins Builders, Inc. Joint Venture will serve as the Design-Build Team. McKissack & McKissack is the oldest minority-owned architectural firm in the United States. For more, visit www.buildthedream.org.
###
Video from this event: http://www.vimeo.com/2771795