The Stone of Hope stands at the entrance to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Monument in Washington, D.C., surrounded by cherry trees and overlooking the Tidal Basin. The stone itself, a divided boulder, ushers visitors through the doorway to a 30-foot granite representation of King. Each side bears inscriptions taken from King’s speeches, reading “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope,” and “I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.”
This year, Portland State’s Black Studies Department celebrates its 40th anniversary. In recognition of the department, PSU is presenting, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. tonight in the Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom, “An Evening to Remember with Dr. Harry E. Johnson Sr.”
The event is free and open to the public. Additionally, a replica of the monument will be on display.
Johnson, president and CEO of the National Memorial Project Foundation, will give a speech on the MLK Jr. National Monument, discussing the difficult but inspiring journey that led to the completion of the national monument.
The monument opened to the public on Aug. 22, 2011, and is the only non-presidential monument on the national mall. In the days after, argument and concern arose over the paraphrased “drum major” quote, which some thought prideful and unreflective of King’s values. As a result, on Jan. 13, United States Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar ordered the inscription to be changed, giving a 30-day timeframe for completion.
In a Feb. 11 press release, the memorial foundation responded to the suggested alteration, saying that the “direction recommended by the National Park Service will in fact threaten the design, structure and integrity of the Stone of Hope.” The foundation said it was “confident that our legion of donors, volunteers and supporters will agree that a less intrusive solution should be explored to ensure the sanctity of the iconic symbol we have come to cherish is not threatened.”
Co-chairs of the planning committee, Melanie Dixon and Phillip W. W. D. Rodgers Sr., wrote in an email interview that the monument is symbolic of our “need to be global citizens and the importance of communities supporting other communities. It also represents the notion of ‘service,’ as we all should be contributors to those that are less fortunate that struggle every day for equality and equity.”
The Black Studies Department was founded in September 1970 when a group of black students formed an independent student organization called the Black Student Union. Union members demanded representation and veto power within all university committees that involved outreach with the black community. Later, the union evolved into the Black Cultural Affairs Board and eventually the Black Studies Department to better extend its role within the community. “These events reflect the mood within the many communities that brought black studies into the educational system countrywide,” said Dennis Payne, former president of the Black Student Union.
E. Kofi Agorsah, current chair of Black Studies Department, wrote on the department’s web page that the program wishes to continue facilitating “the systematic and scientific study of the history of origins, development, nature and culture of people of Africa and the African Diaspora, as a means of reconstructing and explaining the formation and transformations in their experiences, often characterized as the ‘black experience,’ as they relate to World Histories and cultures.”
Tonight’s event will be followed by a reception with hors d’oeuvres and wine. Dixon and Rodgers added that this event is for anyone, “regardless of cultural or racial background or age. Martin Luther King Jr., Harry E. Johnson Sr. and PSU’s Black Studies Department have changed the landscape and minds of many people, and those that attend have the ability to do the same.”