D.C. King Memorial 'Drum Major' Inscription Will Be Erased

Some thought controversial quotation made civil rights icon sound arrogant

The controversial 10-word inscription on the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington D.C. will not be replaced, but removed altogether, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced on Tuesday. The uproar is behind a quotation that critics said made King sound arrogant. Salazar said he was “proud that all parties have come together on a resolution” to have the inscription changed while the “structural integrity” of the memorial remained protected. Removing the words from the three-story state of King, where the inscription appears, is expected to cost between &700,000 and $900,000. The money comes from a special fund created by a memorial foundation. The words in question are from a sermon King delivered two months before his death. Paraphrasing that speech, the inscription reads, “I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.” (Washington Post)

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