The Effect of Memorials

 

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The King Historic District is one of the most popular areas in Downtown Atlanta, and especially on Auburn Avenue. The site is his home and his tomb. Martin Luther King Jr. brought civil reforms to Atlanta and the entire Southern region of the United States and his principals and teachings are that of peace and love. It is no wonder that people wish to commemorate his life and death, nor is it surprising that people from all over the country and the world flock to img_8771Auburn Avenue to visit his birth home, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and the many museums dedicated to him. It is commendable to memorialize such an influential man in the heart of downtown Atlanta, where his teachings of love and peace continue to be of value and acceptance. However, the manner by which he is remembered is faulty. Yes, he fought nonviolently for civil rights. Yes, he advocated for peace and love for all people regardless of skin color. But he did many other things to that are often forgotten. Furthermore, the street and becomes a memorial for King, rather than for what he fought for. A local real estate agent asserts that, “Well obviously the Civil Rights struggle was more than just King, but if you are going to make a development project work down here [Auburn Avenue] you have to simplify things. You have to come up with a story.” The story is that King is the personification of the Civil Rights Movement, but only remembers specific parts of the movement. It highlights the nonviolent teachings of King, but ignores the part of Civil Rights History concerning the diversity of opinions wimg_8773ithin the movement such as the Nation of Islam, the Black Panther Movement, and generally just the normative Civil Rights Discourse. By ignoring parts of history, the reinforced idea is that King has redeemed the nation and purged all the negative racism out of the nation, by using the space granted by Atlanta. This history paints Atlanta in a better light than most of Georgia and the south are painted in, which makes me question the true intentions of the placemakers of the King site.

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