RESOLVED

MLK Memorial Quote to Be Changed

Critics say original was taken out of context.

It’s taken almost half a year, but a controversial quote inscribed at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C., will finally be changed. The National Park Service has been given 30 days to come up with a new quote to replace the one on the left side of the memorial, which reads: “I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.” Critics say the quote is taken out of context and makes King seem arrogant. On Feb. 4, 1968, in a speech in Atlanta, King said, “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.”