An inscription carved on the newly opened Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington will be changed following complaints that the statement was given out of context and does not reflect his words, media reported Friday.
The memorial was opened in August in a park near the National Mall. The quotation on the left side of the memorial reads: "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness." The complaints noted that the quotation makes King appear self-righteous or arrogant.
On February 4, 1968, King actually said, "If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter."
As per reports, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has asked the National Park Service to find a new quotation within 30 days.
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