Martin Luther King Statue Unveiled Monday At Georgia Capitol

ATLANTA, GA -- Crowds gathered Monday morning as Gov. Nathan Deal will and other state lawmakers unveiled a statue of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Georgia State Capitol. The 10 a.m. event was attended by several luminaries of the state and city, including Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Rep. Calvin Smyre, Capitol Arts Standards Commission members and other dignitaries.

The King family was on hand for the event, which comes at an interesting time for the city and much of the nation. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Much of the nation, especially the South, is involved in a brouhaha over monuments and markers. The issue has always been simmering for years, but recently boiled over with the tragic clashes in Charlottesville, Va. Now, metro Atlanta monuments and symbols are under scrutiny.

MLK's daughter, Bernice King, spoke at the event saying that "now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children." Afterward, she went to Twitter to call attention to the precipitous times we live in. "I Have a Dream" is full of hope, love for humanity AND commitment to doing the work of justice. Don't use it to cry for false peace," she posted.

"Dr. King’s legacy transcends politics. It transcends race. It unifies us," Reed told the crowd. "Today we recognize our greatest son ... here, he is home." Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle said.

Monday's statue unveiling is in stark contrast to the current toppling of Confederate monuments in much of the South, something Georgia's governor is careful not to directly address.

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Deal said last week the monument issue is one that will likely be dealt with by Georgia lawmakers in January.

“There are many facets of it,” the governor told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently. “The one that’s got the most attention lately has been the prohibition on local governments being able to make independent decisions about monuments and flags within their jurisdictions. I think they will give it a serious look.”

Image via Twitter / Ga. Criminal Justice Coordinating Council