SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — All over the country, scores of people will gather to honor one of America’s most prolific civil rights heroes, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on his birthday.
King, who would have turned 91 on Jan. 15, is regarded for championing equal rights for African Americans through organized boycotts and rallies as well as by encouraging non-violent protests such as the one in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963.
Perhaps most famously, King led the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his poignant “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.
A life-size bronze statue of Martin Luther King Junior will be placed in Van Epps Park in downtown Sioux Falls Monday.
Sculptor Porter Williams and Mayor Paul TenHaken will be on hand for the ceremony at 1 pm in Van Eps Park.
Williams is paying for the cost of putting up the statue.
King visited Sioux Falls back in 1961. He was refused a room at the hotel where he delivered his speech.
