Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Park is a community park located just outside the city limits of Miami, Florida. Containing open green space and many of the other types of amenities that define most parks, the statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that greets visitors to the park has provided it with an identity that cultivates attention and activity to transform it into something much more for the entire community.
Miami and Martin Luther King Jr.
Miami has an extensive history with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose efforts as part of the American civil rights movement totally transformed the cause. In 1977, Miami was the first city in the country to organize a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade. This celebration culminates in a festival at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, with special attention to the monument that has come to define it.
The state and marker were installed by the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Coodinating Committee. Created in tribute to the civil rights leader, the monument resides on a large pedestal and is set amidst a series of levels that serve as stairs. Residing on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, the monument welcomes visitors while also being connected to the legacy of King and in terms of the cultural and physical impact that it has made.
Designed to pay tribute to the work of King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Park also hosts other events like Miami’s Pan-African & Caribbean Family Festival. These special events are in addition to basketball courts, playgrounds and wide-open green spaces that allow people to do anything from play a game to relax on the grass. This variety highlights how what might otherwise be just another park has instead been transformed thanks to an effort to celebrate a legacy that is connected to the space, city and community.
A Legacy Lives On
Monuments of all sizes honor Martin Luther King Jr., highlighting the incredible impact he has enabled for civil rights and on the United States as a whole. By celebrating this legacy in such a visible and powerful manner, the monument has come to define Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park in a way that transforms it and allows his legacy to live on to and for the Miami community.
