We are pleased to update you on the City of Cincinnati’s public outdoor memorial project to honor civil rights icon Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This memorial will be located at the northeast corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive East and Reading Road in Uptown’s Avondale neighborhood. It is slated for completion and a public dedication in August 2023 to coincide with the 60th anniversary of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

In September 2021, the City announced an open call for artists as the first step of the process. Responses were received and an evaluation committee has narrowed the list to a select number of artists or teams who will be developing design proposals with public input.The City of Cincinnati is inviting you to join us and to share your thoughts and impressions with the artists. The sessions will be held on Tuesday, April 5th from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. on Zoom, and the same information will be covered each session. Register for one of the sessions here. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link.

Cincinnati is proud of its connection to Dr. King which included friendships with Rev. L.V. Booth, pastor of Zion Baptist Church in Avondale, the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, pastor of Revelation Baptist Church in the West End, and Rev. Ralph Abernathy. Rev. Booth founded the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., which gave Dr. King a denominational home and propelled him onto a national platform. Dr. King and Reverends Shuttlesworth and Abernathy joined forces with other leaders to establish the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to coordinate civil rights protest activities more effectively across the South.