King Monuments From the U.S. and Around the World

A look at monuments big and small honoring Dr. King.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change - On Aug. 28 the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial will be unveiled in Washington D.C. Here is a look at other MLK monuments from around the U.S. and world.Established in 1968 by Coretta Scott King, the wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia, is the official, living memorial to Dr. King, according to The King Center’s website. The viewing experience provides a powerful look into King’s inspiring life, including Dr. King’s birth home and final resting place.(Photo: Todd Bennett/Getty Images)

1 / 16

The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change - On Aug. 28 the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial will be unveiled in Washington D.C. Here is a look at other MLK monuments from around the U.S. and world.Established in 1968 by Coretta Scott King, the wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia, is the official, living memorial to Dr. King, according to The King Center’s website. The viewing experience provides a powerful look into King’s inspiring life, including Dr. King’s birth home and final resting place.(Photo: Todd Bennett/Getty Images)

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial - The memorial in Buffalo, New York, is inscribed with an excerpt from Dr. King’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech: "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, 'We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.' M.L.K. Jr. 1929-1968."(Photo: Courtesy of the City of Buffalo/Buffalo Arts Commission)

2 / 16

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial - The memorial in Buffalo, New York, is inscribed with an excerpt from Dr. King’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech: "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, 'We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.' M.L.K. Jr. 1929-1968."(Photo: Courtesy of the City of Buffalo/Buffalo Arts Commission)

El Centro Memorial Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - In the late 1950s, toward the end of the Cuban Revolution, Cuban church leaders were inspired by Dr. King’s work during the civil rights movement and rallied to organize cooperative church leadership across Cuba, the U.S. and other countries in order to spread King’s message of nonviolence. On April 25, 2007, Rev. Joel King Jr. represented the King family at the memorial’s 20th anniversary in Havana.Here, Congresswoman Barbara Lee talks next to Cuban Protestant church leader Reverend Raul Suarez and U.S. Congressman Bobby Rush during a visit at the memorial in 2009. (Photo: REUTERS/STR/Landov)

3 / 16

El Centro Memorial Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - In the late 1950s, toward the end of the Cuban Revolution, Cuban church leaders were inspired by Dr. King’s work during the civil rights movement and rallied to organize cooperative church leadership across Cuba, the U.S. and other countries in order to spread King’s message of nonviolence. On April 25, 2007, Rev. Joel King Jr. represented the King family at the memorial’s 20th anniversary in Havana.Here, Congresswoman Barbara Lee talks next to Cuban Protestant church leader Reverend Raul Suarez and U.S. Congressman Bobby Rush during a visit at the memorial in 2009. (Photo: REUTERS/STR/Landov)

Statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - The memorial, located in Lincoln Park in Albany, New York, depicts Dr. King taking symbolic steps toward equality.(Photo: Katie Broadwell for BET.com)

4 / 16

Statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - The memorial, located in Lincoln Park in Albany, New York, depicts Dr. King taking symbolic steps toward equality.(Photo: Katie Broadwell for BET.com)

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park & Landmark for Peace - The Landmark for Peace memorial sculpture in Indianapolis, Indiana, honors both Dr. King and Robert Kennedy, who famously gave a speech at the site of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park the night King was assassinated in 1968.

5 / 16

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park & Landmark for Peace - The Landmark for Peace memorial sculpture in Indianapolis, Indiana, honors both Dr. King and Robert Kennedy, who famously gave a speech at the site of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park the night King was assassinated in 1968.

ADVERTISEMENT
A Peace Trail Through London, Great West Door, Westminster Abbey - The statue, located on the Great West Door at Westminster Abbey in London, depicts the image of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. along with nine other Christian martyrs of the 20th century. (Photo: Nadiastrid/Wikimedia Commons) 

6 / 16

A Peace Trail Through London, Great West Door, Westminster Abbey - The statue, located on the Great West Door at Westminster Abbey in London, depicts the image of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. along with nine other Christian martyrs of the 20th century. (Photo: Nadiastrid/Wikimedia Commons) 

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Statue - Dedicated on April 8, 2005, chainsaw sculptor Bruce Bayard sculpted the statue from a spruce log. In a message on the city’s website, he described the piece as, “King’s outstretched hand is calling a new generation to action.”(Photo: Cityofnewburgh-ny.gov)  

7 / 16

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Statue - Dedicated on April 8, 2005, chainsaw sculptor Bruce Bayard sculpted the statue from a spruce log. In a message on the city’s website, he described the piece as, “King’s outstretched hand is calling a new generation to action.”(Photo: Cityofnewburgh-ny.gov)  

Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church / Parsonage house - The Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church is the church where King pastored from 1954 to 1960 and began his quest for civil rights. This church was also a centerpoint of the Montgomery bus boycott.  (Photos: Mario Tama/Getty Images; Dexterkingmemorial.org)

8 / 16

Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church / Parsonage house - The Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church is the church where King pastored from 1954 to 1960 and began his quest for civil rights. This church was also a centerpoint of the Montgomery bus boycott.  (Photos: Mario Tama/Getty Images; Dexterkingmemorial.org)

Photo By Photos: Mario Tama/Getty Images; Dexterkingmemorial.org

Bust of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - The bronze bust is located near the Hudson River in Newburgh, New York, and was unveiled on April 13, 2006, in observance of the 38th anniversary of the April 4 death of the civil rights leader in 1968. (Photo: Courtesy of David Frech)

9 / 16

Bust of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - The bronze bust is located near the Hudson River in Newburgh, New York, and was unveiled on April 13, 2006, in observance of the 38th anniversary of the April 4 death of the civil rights leader in 1968. (Photo: Courtesy of David Frech)

The Westchester Martin Luther King Jr. Institute for Nonviolence - The institute, founded in 1987 in Westchester, New York, “Supports the larger movement for social justice by creating safe spaces for people to think and talk about violence, nonviolence and reconciliation, with the goal to change the way power and resources are distributed in our society,” according to the official website. (Photo: Courtesy of the Westchester Institute for Nonviolence)

10 / 16

The Westchester Martin Luther King Jr. Institute for Nonviolence - The institute, founded in 1987 in Westchester, New York, “Supports the larger movement for social justice by creating safe spaces for people to think and talk about violence, nonviolence and reconciliation, with the goal to change the way power and resources are distributed in our society,” according to the official website. (Photo: Courtesy of the Westchester Institute for Nonviolence)

ADVERTISEMENT
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and Waterfall, Yerba Buena Gardens - The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial near San Francisco is situated behind a majestic waterfall 50 feet high and 20 feet wide and includes back-lit photos from the civil rights movement and 12 shimmering glass panels set in granite and inscribed with Dr. King's inspiring words.(Photo: Courtesy of Yerba Buena Gardens)

11 / 16

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and Waterfall, Yerba Buena Gardens - The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial near San Francisco is situated behind a majestic waterfall 50 feet high and 20 feet wide and includes back-lit photos from the civil rights movement and 12 shimmering glass panels set in granite and inscribed with Dr. King's inspiring words.(Photo: Courtesy of Yerba Buena Gardens)

The Martin Luther King Memorial - The contemporary design and spiritual meaning of the three segments, which represent the Christian Trinity of the father, son and holy ghost, were inspired by King’s “I’ve been to the Mountaintop” speech. The sculpture, located in Seattle, stretches 30 feet in the air and is carved from black granite. (Photo: Seattle.gov)

12 / 16

The Martin Luther King Memorial - The contemporary design and spiritual meaning of the three segments, which represent the Christian Trinity of the father, son and holy ghost, were inspired by King’s “I’ve been to the Mountaintop” speech. The sculpture, located in Seattle, stretches 30 feet in the air and is carved from black granite. (Photo: Seattle.gov)

Martin Luther King Street - A street in Jerusalem, Israel, has been named for the civil rights leader.(Photo: Joe Goldberg/Flickr.com)

13 / 16

Martin Luther King Street - A street in Jerusalem, Israel, has been named for the civil rights leader.(Photo: Joe Goldberg/Flickr.com)

National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel - The National Civil Rights Museum is the site of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. The museum chronicles the civil rights movement from 1619 to 2000 with historical exhibits, including Room 306, the hotel room where Dr. King stayed the night he was murdered. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

14 / 16

National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel - The National Civil Rights Museum is the site of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. The museum chronicles the civil rights movement from 1619 to 2000 with historical exhibits, including Room 306, the hotel room where Dr. King stayed the night he was murdered. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, Selma, Alabama - The 54-mile long trail commemorates the historic 1965 Voting Rights March, in which a collation that grew to 25,000 supporters, led by Dr. King, marched from Selma to the state capitol of Montgomery, Alabama, to champion unjust voting laws that prevented Blacks from voting in the state. After two attempts at marching to the capitol — the first known as "Bloody Sunday" on March 7, 1965, as a result of the brutal beatings marchers endured from state troopers and local detractors on horseback — the march, with protection from federalized National Guard troops, proceeded on March 21, 1965. Four days later, after walking 54 miles, the marchers arrived in Montgomery, where King delivered his powerful speech, "How Long, Not Long," to over 10,000 people assembled on the Capitol steps and beyond.(Photo: C...

15 / 16

The Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, Selma, Alabama - The 54-mile long trail commemorates the historic 1965 Voting Rights March, in which a collation that grew to 25,000 supporters, led by Dr. King, marched from Selma to the state capitol of Montgomery, Alabama, to champion unjust voting laws that prevented Blacks from voting in the state. After two attempts at marching to the capitol — the first known as "Bloody Sunday" on March 7, 1965, as a result of the brutal beatings marchers endured from state troopers and local detractors on horseback — the march, with protection from federalized National Guard troops, proceeded on March 21, 1965. Four days later, after walking 54 miles, the marchers arrived in Montgomery, where King delivered his powerful speech, "How Long, Not Long," to over 10,000 people assembled on the Capitol steps and beyond.(Photo: C...

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired the world to embrace racial equality through nonviolent action. As we honor the contributions of the late civil rights icon during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, take a look at how artists have interpreted King’s message of peace.—Britt Middleton - Perhaps the most famous of all artistic interpretations of King is his likeness etched into stone at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C.(Photo: Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

16 / 16

Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial - The national memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is located on the Memorial Mall in Washington, D.C. The Memorial’s address is 1964 Independence Ave, a reference to the Civil Right’s Act of 1964, a milestone which Dr. King played an integral role in achieving. The memorial was dedicated on Aug. 28.(Photo: Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images)