Architect: MLK Inscription on Monument Is Staying

Those who think the truncated quote attributed to Martin Luther King on his new DC memorial do a disservice to the man are just going to have to deal with it. The chief architect defends the quotation and says he has no plans to tweak it, reports the Washington Post. It reads, “I was a drum major for justice, peace, and righteousness." What King actually said was, “Yes, 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.”

Critics include Maya Angelou, who said the shortened version makes King sound like a boastful and "arrogant twit." They want the qualifying "if" to be part of the inscription, but architect Ed Jackson said it won't happen. The inscription is not intended to be a direct quote, and adding an "if" would make King sound unsure of himself, he said. "We have the historical perspective. We can say emphatically he was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness. ... You can't get any more succinct than that." (More Martin Luther King Jr. stories.)