On Tuesday in between questions about the rebels in Libya, the Gaza strip airstrikes news of Nick Ashford’s death for a brief moment was important. I could not remember any of the Ashford and Songs. I thought that there was at least one Diana Ross song. But I was not sure. I decided to walk to the new Martin Luther King, Jr memorial. The original plan was to take a few pictures and then send them to a couple of friends.
Well, I walked to the Mall without having a clear idea where the new memorial was actually located. I had an idea. Luckily there was a map near the Jefferson Memorial which had the proposed location indicated. I looked at the TIdal Basin, I looked at the mid morning sky, a calm blue. There was no humidity on Tuesday. It was a great day to be outside, to be walking, to be searching for something without a map. I do like the Tidal Basin. There were many people walking around that morning.
There were airplanes taking off from National Airport. There were cars speeding by on the road. As I walked on the bridge I noticed spider webs. There were groups of four or five pedestrians crossing the bridge. Some were talking about the weather, some were talking about Martin Luther King, Jr., some were talking about politics.
Seeing the cherry trees all lush and green was pleasant. How great the morning was! How perfect this day was. I wondered along looking at the trees, taking pictures and looking around. My mind was filled with thoughts of my friends, thoughts of sharing the pictures.
Finally I happened upon the memorial. Of course there was barbed wire between me and the memorial. Of course I took a picture of the barbed wire. I looked at the towering white statue of Martin Luther King, Jr. I looked at the diverse crowd walking around. Naturally, I took a picture of the Washington Monument because I like how it reflects on the water and I took a picture of the Jefferson Memorial because I like photographing it and imaging that I am in ancient Greece or modern Las Vegas.
Seeing this memorial is probably best with friends. This memorial arrives with a soundtrack. As I am writing this I am thinking of Labelle Nightbirds and Marvin Gaye. I am also thinking of Moms Mabley and Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby. From the street I sensed somehting Egyptian, something like the Sphinx in style.
Of course I took a few photographs but only as a brief study. As composition notes.
There was something very Disney World, very clean, very discussed about the design of everything. Of course there were many things to capture my attention. Many sights and sounds to capture my imagination. There were park police and children and adults and teenagers. I kept hoping to see Redd Foxx. This Memorial needs humor, this Memorial needs hope.
There were many people talking about history, mentioning Selma, Birmingham, the Beatles, Bill Clinton, Dick Cheney, Lindsey Lohann, Britney Spears. People were talking about getting engaged, going to lunch, going for drinks. People were talking about civil rights, Baptist church fans with pictures of either John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, or Martin Luther King, Jr., choirs, civil disobedience.
Voices were remembering Michael Jackson, someone said something about Ashford and Simpson and Tammy Terrell and of course I confused Tammy Terrell with a member of the Supremes and then wondered if Tammy Terrell and Tammy Wynette ever met.
There are several famous Martin Luther King, Jr. quotes. The scale of this memorial is intimate, very personal. This could be in a field next to a church. There is something very quiet, very calm about this design. I could hear “What’s Going On?” the original and Cyndi Lauper’s version because earphones are not always noise canceling.
There is something quietly innocent, quietly disobedient here. The melody of this Memorial is upbeat like an Ashford and Simpson Motown love song for Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell. It does not strain to be uplifting. Instead it is words and a statue, neither overwhelms.
It is a Memorial which reminds me of fried chicken, homemade mashed potatoes, greens, green beans, ham, fresh rolls, iced tea and lemonade with real sugar. It is a Memorial of voices remembered, of voices long departed. Here Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell can perform any of there love songs and it would fit the character and design of this spot.
But there is a quiet sense of the statue not being quite finished as the struggle for civil rights is not over yet.
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