MLK Memorial Quote to be Corrected

The paraphrased quotation on the memorial of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be corrected, the Department of the Interior decided just last week.

The phrase inscribed in the side of the memorial, which opened in August, reads: "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness."

But King's actual words, spoken to his Atlanta congregation just months before his assassination, were: "Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter."

Since the memorial opened in August and was officially dedicated in October, the quote has been one of several controversies surrounding the newest addition to the National Mall. Poet Maya Angelou reportedly said that the out-of-context quote made King sound like "an arrogant twit."

Georgetowner and Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Bill Starrels wrote a letter to the editor of The Washington Post, objecting to the misquote. Starrels argued that in paraphrasing the quote, the MLK memorial designers directly violated the design approved by U.S. Commission of Fine Arts.

"The memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. is too important not to correct. This generation and future generations need to read accurate quotes. This is a fundamental right of everyone who visits the memorial" wrote Starrels.

The King Memorial foundation has not indicated how the changes will be made or when they might happen.