The Dedication of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

This is the first monument to a NON-President on the National Mall.

Being a Negro in America means trying to smile when you want to cry. It means trying to hold on to physical life amid psychological death. It means the pain of watching you children grow up with clouds of inferiority in their mental skies. It means having your legs cut off, and then being condemned for being a cripple. It means seeing your mother and father spiritually murdered by the slings and arrows of daily exploitation, and then being hated for being an orphan. Martin Luther King, Jr., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, 1967.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Foundation President, Harry Johnson explains the creation and meaning behind the MLK Memorial in Washington, DC.

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Thousands Gather for MLK Memorial Dedication WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 16: People wait in line during sunrise for a dedication ceremony at the Martin Luther King Memorial on the National Mall October 16, 2011 in Washington, DC. President Barack Obama, entertainers, civil rights leaders and others attend the ceremony to formally dedicate the memorial to the civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King who was assassinated in 1968. ----Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images U.S. President Barack Obama walks with his family at the dedication ceremony of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in West Potomac Park in Washington, October 16, 2011. --Larry Downing US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama (2ndR)with daughter Malia (L), Sasha(C) and mother-in-law Marian Robinson(R) visit the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial October 16, 2011 in Washington, DC. Obama hailed the "moral imagination" and "hopeful vision" of Martin Luther King on Sunday at a Washington ceremony attended by thousands to dedicate a monument to the slain civil rights icon. ---MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images The MLK that's never quoted Obama: King 'Stirred Our Conscience'

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I Have Been to the Mountaintop Full Speech US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama make their way to the stage for Obama to speak at the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial October 16, 2011 in Washington, DC. Obama hailed the "moral imagination" and "hopeful vision" of Martin Luther King on Sunday at a Washington ceremony attended by thousands to dedicate a monument to the slain civil rights icon. ---MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images President Barack Obama speaks at a dedication ceremony of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington October 16, 2011. ----REUTERS/Molly Riley