A Gwinnett County family is helping fund a new Martin Luther King Jr. statue that will stand in Atlanta’s Rodney Cook Sr. Peace Park.
For years, Lawrenceville residents Clyde and Sandra Strickland have admired the work and legacy of Dr. King, and wanted to honor him by funding a statue for his home community.
“One hundred years from now, all of us are gonna be dead,” Strickland said. “But that statue is gonna be standing there.”
Sculpted by Kathy Fincher and Stan Mullin, the statue will depict Dr. King standing in a pastor’s robe, delivering his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, while also holding an open Bible. The two artists are creating the statue in Mullin’s Athens studio.
Others contributing for the statue are the National Monuments Foundation, Tim Minard, Dame Didi Wong, and Social Investment Holdings, Inc.
Credit: World Peace Revival
Credit: World Peace Revival
The Strickland family also created World Peace Revival, a movement that promotes peace and honors Dr. King through prayer, kindness and unity.
Ambassador Andrew Young, former Atlanta mayor and civil rights leader, is also involved with World Peace Revival and told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he thinks the King statue will serve as a reminder of how we got here.
“From the beginning of time, people have struggled for peace in the midst of all of the chaos in the world, and there have been various ways of organizing the search for peace,” Young said.
World Peace Revival will unveil the new statue on April 1. That will be, followed by a “Peace Walk” at the park.
Dr. King is the epitome of peace, and the statue will serve as a reminder of what he stood for, the Stricklands said.
“He stood for God and peace and love and bringing people together. Love and bringing people together is never gonna get old,” Strickland said.
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