Event organizers have had to overcome a number of obstacles, such as public criticism, and now one more stands in their way -- a $6 million hurdle.
"It's been an uphill battle all the way, but we are confident that we'll reach our goal," said Harry Johnson, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.
The four-acre site, complete with a 28-foot high granite statue of King, stretches from the Tidal Basin to Independence Avenue, and sits between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials. It also comes with a $120 million price tag. So far, organizers have raised $114 million through private and public donations.
To reach its financial goal, the foundation has employed a number of grassroots strategies, such as children raising donations at school-based events.
MLKmemorial.org reported that the Maurice W. Downing Elementary School of Malverne, N.Y., raised $1,978 during its "Reading to Build a Dream" fundraiser. Grade school students and the Parent Advisory Council at George Manierre School in Chicago hosted a dance where they raised more than $600. The African American Organization at Owings Mills High School in Baltimore, Md., hosted a number of events, including a basketball tournament to raise $1,000.
An estimated 250,000 people are expected to visit the Mall for the dedication ceremony and other events.
The District-related events will include D.C. Residents Day on Aug. 23, for which tickets are no longer needed because of the high demand. There is also a march for D.C. statehood on Aug. 27 that starts at Freedom Plaza and proceeds to a spot near the memorial at the Tidal Basin.
Chuck Hicks, chairman of the D.C. Black History Celebration Committee, said that a brochure about the city and its non-state status will be circulated during festivities.
He said the memorial dedication, which is expected to draw many from outside the city, is an appropriate stage for D.C. issues.
“I believe people see that it fits into the whole picture,” said Mr. Hicks, who heads the host committee for dedication events.
Gray spokeswoman Linda Wharton-Boyd said “nobody has objected yet” to trumpeting D.C. issues during the dedication week.
For the second time this month, Mr. Gray referred to a quotation from King in 1965 that indicates he backed full rights for D.C. residents.
King said Congress had been “derelict” in its duty to make freedom a reality for all residents of the District, Mr. Gray said.
He also said celebrities in attendance may be asked to do a 30-second media spot “talking about bringing justice to the District.”
The mayor said he is always surprised by those who believe D.C. residents have the same representation rights as all Americans or that the District is fully funded by the federal government.
Officials are still working on road closures and other logistics, but that information will be available on event-specific websites and on signs across the city, said Millicent W. West, director of D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Said Mr. Gray: “Frankly, given the magnitude and complexity of this, there will be issues that will continue to evolve right up to the last minute.
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