The King Center unveils new Coretta Scott King monument and garden

Coretta Scott King celebrated her 96th heavenly birthday yesterday (April 28). To mark the occasion, The King Center in Atlanta dedicated a new monument and garden in honor of the civil rights activist.

Coretta founded The King Center in 1968 after the death of her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to immortalize his life, legacy, and commitment to nonviolence. At the dedication ceremony yesterday, their daughter and CEO of The King Center, Rev. Bernice King, shared touching words in tribute to the memory of her mother.

“The magnitude of her contributions to humanity are yet to be known,” Bernice said of her mom, per the AP. “Today’s dedication of this monument is but a beginning. There’s much more to come, and when her legacy is fully revealed, we will know that because of her, because of Mom, because of Coretta Scott King, the dream lives and the legacy continues.”

Bernice was joined by her niece, Yolanda Renee King, as they untied a ribbon on the gate of the garden and cut another ribbon on the dome-shaped monument. The garden has a stone-paved path leading up to the bronze memorial. It sits near the eternal flame that burns next to the pool surrounding the crypt where the Kings’ bodies are interred.

Under the dome is a sculpture of microphones that includes one live microphone. Artist Saya Woolfalk said that it’s intended for visitors “to speak their own words and commitments to civil rights and nonviolence.” The King family desired to have it on the “sacred ground” of The King Center rather than somewhere else in the city as originally planned.

“It’s an immersive environment,” Woolfalk said of her work. “It’s not a representational sculpture. It’s intended to make you feel like you’re in the spirit of Mrs. King. So you walk into the space, and you feel her spirit.”

Check out some photos and clips from the ceremony below.