Documenting the American South

Doc South header logo Home
Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina
Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina
Commemorative Landscapes banner

No attributed image.

  • Monument Name

    Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument, Red Springs

  • Type

    Marker

  • Subjects

    Historic African American Figures

    Historic Protest Figures

  • Creator

    Alan Parnell, Designer

  • City

    Red Springs

  • County

    Robeson

  • Description

    This memorial is made of three vertical granite slabs, two light and one dark. The lighter colored slabs which flank the darker of the three bear the inscriptions from Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. The dark slab depicts etched images of Dr. King.

  • Inscription

    Center: DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

    Left: I HAVE A DREAM THAT ONE DAY THIS / NATION WILL RISE UP AND LIVE OUT / THE TRUE MEANING OF ITS CREED, / WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE / SELF-EVIDENT, THAT ALL MEN ARE / CREATED EQUAL.

    Right: I HAVE A DREAM THAT MY FOUR/ LITTLE CHILDREN WILL ONE DAY/ LIVE IN A NATION WHERE THEY WILL/ NOT BE JUDGED BY THE COLOR OF/ THEIR SKIN BUT BY THE CONTENT/ OF THEIR CHARACTER.

  • Custodian

    Town of Red Springs Board of Commissioners

  • Dedication Date

    September 30, 2006

  • Decade

    2000s

  • Geographic Coordinates

    34.814900 , -79.182580

  • Supporting Sources

      Moses, Mark S. "MLK Jr. Memorial Efforts Being Completed," The Robesonian (Lumberton, NC), July 2006, (accessed January 22, 2012) Link

      Moses, Mark S. "MLK Jr. Memorial Unveiling Marks Historic Event in RS," The Robesonian (Lumberton, NC), September 30, 2006, (accessed February 2, 2012) Link

  • Public Site

    Yes

  • Materials & Techniques

    Granite

  • Sponsors

    Town of Red Springs Board of Commissioners; Linda Mack ran a fundraising committee to raise money for the construction of the monument.

  • Monument Cost

    $8,000

  • Monument Dedication and Unveiling

    The dedication ceremony was well-attended. The Rev. Vernon King, nephew of MLK, Jr., a resident of Greensboro, spoke at the ceremony. Town commissioner Linda Mack also spoke, as did Mayor George Paris, Robeson County Commissioner Noah Woods and Red Springs Town Commissioner E.H. Alexander. “Dr. King would have been proud of us today, because we see a picture of different races here and we’ve all worked together to make this day happen. I don’t want it to stop here; I want us to continue to work together. If we work together, it’s amazing what we can do because there’s no limit to what we can get done and that’s what we’re striving for," said Mrs. Mack.

  • Subject Notes

    Martin Luther King, Jr. was a clergyman and leader of the civil rights movement.

  • Orientation

    It is located at the intersection of Main Street and East Fourth Avenue in Red Springs.

  • Landscape

    Surrounding the monument is a local park.

  • Approval Process

    Approved by vote of the town’s Board of Commissioners

Know anything else about this monument that isn't mentioned here? If you have additional information on this or any other monument in our collection fill out the form at the Contact Us link in the footer. Thank you.