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Tags: amy, goodman, democracy, now, dn, August, 24, 2011, news, politics, juan, gonzalez, Jesse, Jackson, civil, rights, Vincent, Harding

Uploaded by democracynow on 26 Aug 2011 DemocracyNow.org - This week, the public got its first look at a newly unveiled memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., that honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is the first memorial on the National Mall not dedicated to a war, president or white man. The memorial features a 30-foot-tall sculpture in which the civil rights leader appears to emerge from a chunk of granite that is carved to resemble the sides of a mountain. It was sculpted by Chinese artist Lei Yixin. The threat of Hurricane Irene has forced organizers to postpone the planned dedication of memorial, which had been set to take place on Sunday. Some 250,000 people were expected to attend, including President Barack Obama. The dedication ceremony was to have taken place on the 48th anniversary of Dr. King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered less than a mile away on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The event at which Dr. King made his famous speech was "The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom." And even as the King Memorial dedication has been postponed, a related rally for jobs and justice will proceed tomorrow, ending with a march to the King Memorial. It is expected to attract thousands of labor, education and civil rights activists from across the country. In the year before he was assassinated, King organized a "Poor People's Campaign" for economic opportunity for all Americans. Democracy Now! interviews long time civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson, president and founder of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, and Dr. Vincent Harding, a longtime friend and a former speechwriter for Dr. King. He wrote his famous "Beyond Vietnam" address. Dr. Harding is the author of several books including, "Martin Luther King: The Inconvenient Hero." WATCH PART 2 OF 2: http://youtu.be/S6DljOUApFc

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