Postponed Martin Luther King Dedication to Take Place Sunday

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Dedication that was to have originally taken place back in late August is happening Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011. 

 The dedication of the memorial is free and open to the public. No tickets are required. Sunday's dedication has been scaled back from the lavish event it was supposed to be in August and many of the top names scheduled to originally appear, can no longer attend. President Obama is the main speaker.

Here are the nine things you need to know if you go according to the dedication website:

1. 8 a.m. The dedication activities will begin with an with an hour-long “Morning Joy” program

2. 9 a.m. The Dedication program, emceed by PBS NewsHour’s Gwen Ifill begins with tributes to Dr. King with the words of noted speakers including civil rights leaders and King family members, as well as musicians and poets. President Barack Obama will deliver the dedication address.

Civil rights leaders including Julian Bond, Reverend Joseph Lowery, Congressman John Lewis, Marian Wright Edelman, Ambassador Andrew Young, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Lee A. Saunders, and Reverend Al Sharpton are scheduled to speak as well as members of the King Family and Dan Rather, who covered the civil rights movement early in his career. Musical and spoken tributes will be delivered by poet Nikki Giovanni, Mary Mary, Miri Ben-Ari and PoemCees, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and Jennifer Holliday. The Dedication Choir is a specially selected group of 75 vocalists from across the Washington metropolitan area and directed by Reverend Nolan Williams, Jr.

3. 11 a.m. Dedication will take place in the forecourt of the Memorial, and this portion of the program will be broadcast on jumbotrons in West Potomac Park. Herman “Skip” Mason, general president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Aretha Franklin, Harry Johnson, president and CEO of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Foundation, and President Barack Obama will participate. Special guests include Vice President Joe Biden, United States Trade Representative Ambassador Ron Kirk, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, and more.

4. The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial is located on the northwest corner of the Tidal Basin just north of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial and across Independence Avenue from the Lincoln Memorial.

5. Remember you will have to walk. The memorial is a short walk from downtown D.C. and the National Mall. Attendees staying in the downtown area and in close proximity to the mall should walk or use public transportation or taxi to get as close to the memorial site as street closures permit. Walking distance from the Washington Convention Center is approximately 2.5 miles. Download this brochure with walking directions to the Dedication Ceremony.

6. Restricted/Prohibited Items. To avoid lengthy security delays, guests are asked not to bring prohibited items, and avoid (if possible) hard-to-search items like baby strollers. Prohibited items include:

• Firearm of any type
• Weapon of any type
  • Firearm of any type
  • Chemical materials
  • Radiological materials
  • Biological materials
  • Knives of any type
• Toy guns / toy weapons
• Fireworks
• Pepper spray / mace
• Scissors
• Razor blades
• Needles
• Leatherman brand tools (or similar)
• Screwdrivers (or similar)
• Tripods

• Coolers
• Glass bottles
• Soda cans
• Air-horns
• Laser pointers
• Aerosol containers
• Sticks / poles
• Baseballs, softballs, etc
• Animals (except guide dogs)
• Produce (examples apples, oranges, etc.)
• Duffel bags
• Suitcases
• Backpacks
• Large handbags

This list may not be inclusive. Law enforcement personnel reserve the right to prohibit any other items determined to be a potential public safety hazard.

7. Permitted Items. The following are items that can be brought to the memorial:

• Cameras
• Video recorders
• Uncased binoculars
• Small handbags
• Diaper bags

• Pagers
• Cell phones
• Strollers
• Wheelchairs
• Appropriate clothes for weather conditions
• Umbrellas

Compact folding chairs will be permitted for guests with special needs only. Guests should be prepared for search of all items carried on site.

8. Food/Beverage Services. Food and beverage will be available for purchase on site. Food may be purchased with CASH ONLY, no credit cards. Also note, only pre-packaged food items are allowed due to on-site security. Produce (whole fruit, apples, oranges, etc) is PROHIBITTED. Only beverages in plastic bottles are permitted.

9. C-SPAN. C-SPAN will be broadcasting all the MLK-related events. Here's where to find the schedule.