GHI Deputy Director gives German Federal Foreign Minister Tour of King Memorial Print

During his recent visit to Washington DC, German Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle was given a personal tour of the new Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial (opened in August 2011) by GHI Deputy Director PD Dr. Britta Waldschmidt-Nelson. Waldschmidt-Nelson, a specialist on American history and on the civil rights movement who published three books on King, was impressed by Westerwelle's interest in African American History. She explained the history of the memorial, the significance of its design ("Out of a Mountain of Despair a Stone of Hope"), the context of some of the King quotes on its inscription wall as well as some of the controversies surrounding the monument.

While Westerwelle was astonished that it took almost five decades to erect a memorial for King, Waldschmidt-Nelson stressed the significance of the monument for the history of American race relations. She also argued that despite the controversies regarding the details of the monument, King would have been delighted to see that the memorial's presence has caused a tremendous increase in the number of black visitors on the national mall.



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Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Washington, DC
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Britta Waldschmidt-Nelson with Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle