(New York). “The inscription on the memorial tomb of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is not what he said in his world famous speech, ‘I Have A Dream,’” said James D. Sewell, publisher of a new website, www.MLK-Tomb-Misquote.com, which is dedicated to correcting this insult to Dr. King. “I recently logged onto the U.S. Park Service website to research a tribute poem I was writing about Dr. King, when I discovered what looked like a misquote on Dr. King’s memorial tomb.”
“When I first saw it, I wasn’t really sure what to think,” said Mr. Sewell. “I could not believe that a man of Dr. King’s stature would be misquoted on his memorial tomb, and especially in his most famous speech.”
“I had to see this for myself,” Sewell said. “This was just too hard to believe so I went to visit The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, Ga.”
A first time visitor to the site will immediately sense the air of respect and reverence that permeates everything – from the grandeur of the architecture, to the flower gardens, to the spectacular sculptures and works of art, everything about this memorial shows a deep love and respect for this great man. “This memorial to Dr. King is a very fitting tribute to a man who has earned the love and respect of the entire world.”
The highlight of the tour was Dr. King’s memorial tomb. “Standing before Dr. King’s tomb is a truly humbling experience,” Sewell said. “We should all come here at least once in our lives to see Dr. King’s tomb, so we never forget the struggle or the dream.”
“But I was amazed and more than a little upset to see that the most recognizable lines from his ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, have been misquoted on his tomb,” Sewell said. “As you can see for yourself, the quotation on his tomb has Dr. King saying, ‘I’m Free At Last’, but in his speech he said, ‘We Are Free At Last.’”
Sewell adds, “Something must be done right now to correct this. So I started an online petition at www.ipetition.com/petitions/mlk-tomb-misquote to do just that. I am asking the millions of people worldwide who love and respect Dr. King to join the fight to make this right. This insult to Dr. King must be corrected immediately. When the petition has 100,000 signatures it will be presented to the President and Congress for action.”
“The misquote on the memorial tomb of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is an insult to his memory and his legacy, and to all those who shared his dream and believed in his message,” says Sewell.
