MLK 'Table of Brotherhood Project' Announced
WASHINGTON -To mark the 48th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a Dream" speech, Chevrolet is sponsoring the “Table of Brotherhood Project,” a four-city tour honoring King's legacy. The tour culminates with the Aug. 28 dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington.
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“We admire and respect Dr. King's eternal legacy and all that he represents,” said GM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson. “This is an important moment in our nation's history and we hope this memorial will inspire others to turn their own dreams into action”.
The tour will make stops in Atlanta, Memphis, Chicago, and Washington, where diverse community leaders will evoke King’s spirit though dialogue on topical social issues.
Stops will feature a table designed by Scott Tucker of Raunjiba furniture , where people of all backgrounds and opinions are invited to participate in culturally and socially relevant conversations around King’s vision. The discussions will be moderated by Roland Martin, a CNN News contributor and commentator for TV One Cable Network.
The Table of Brotherhood Project was highlighted in a TV ad that aired during the recent BET Awards. The ad features Americans from all walks of life taking their seats at an endless table weaving its way through beaches, schools, streets and restaurants to Washington. The ad was created for Chevrolet by SpikeDDB, its African-American advertising agency of record.
To date, General Motors and the General Motors Foundation are among the largest sponsors of the King memorial, having donated more than $10 million to the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. Both are committed to raising public awareness of the Memorial in the nation’s capital.
The Memorial will be positioned in a direct line between the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials on the National Mall, where King delivered his most famous speech on Aug. 28, 1963. The centerpiece of the Memorial, the "Stone of Hope," will feature a 30-foot likeness of King made of natural elements. It will contain excerpts of his sermons and public addresses to serve as living testaments of his vision of America. It will be the first memorial on the National Mall to honor someone other than a U.S. President.
“We are deeply grateful to General Motors and the General Motors Foundation for their consistent and steadfast support, which has helped build the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in our nation’s capital,” said Harry E. Johnson, Sr., president and CEO of the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. “We look forward to the conversations the Table of Brotherhood project tour will create and are certain they will be a meaningful prelude to the August 28 dedication of our nation’s memorial to Dr. King, one of the world’s most influential leaders.”
