ATLANTA (AP) – A statue paying tribute to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is being installed on the state Capitol grounds in Atlanta.
The unveiling of the statue on Monday comes more than three years after Georgia lawmakers endorsed the project.
Officials had to negotiate with King’s family for the right to use his image. Then an artist was selected for the project, only to be killed in a motorcycle accident. After a lengthy screening, sculptor Martin Dawe was chosen to replace him.
Dawe said he knew other tributes to King had been criticized and he set one goal: Make the 8-foot (2-meter) statue look like the man.
The statue is scheduled to be unveiled at 10 a.m. Monday.