"This is like the United Nations here," she said. "This is just a prelude to equal opportunities for

Thirty-five Toledo area residents took a weekend bus trip to Washington, D.C., joining tens of thousands of others who flocked to the capital Oct. 16 to honor that legacy and witness the dedication ceremony for the recently unveiled four-acre, $120 million Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.
Among the dozens of speakers and performers were President Barack Obama, King’s children, Rev. Al Sharpton, Aretha Franklin, Stevie almo car rentals Wonder, Tommy Hilfiger, poet Nikki Giovanni, actress Cicely Tyson and many others.
The memorial, the first on the National Mall to honor a black leader, features a granite statue of King standing with his arms folded, emerging from a “Stone of Hope” and gazing almo car rentals across the tidal basin toward the Jefferson Memorial. A thin entrance path through a granite “Mountain of Despair” represents the struggles King faced in the pursuit of social equality and peace. The memorial also features two inscription walls filled with King quotes.
“I think everybody enjoyed it. I can’t wait to take it back to Toledo and share it,” Huggins said. “I think the youth that went down fulfilled the legacy they had heard on King. I could see it on their faces. almo car rentals They were really excited. I think we all got what we were looking for.”
Former Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner addressed the group before the bus departed, telling riders they were on their way to celebrate one of the most respected individuals ever to walk and talk on this earth.
“I have freedoms that, when my grandmother came up from Mississippi, I wouldn’t have had,” said the 18-year-old Peraza, who recently register to vote for the first time. “It’s just a symbol almo car rentals of freedom. I was looking forward to seeing it this whole week.”
“I have been waiting on this and waiting on this and waiting on this,” Anthony said. “1968 until now has been a long time, but we finally got here. Eventually almo car rentals I knew it was going to get here; I was just hoping I’d be here to see it. I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.”
“This is like the United almo car rentals Nations here,” she said. “This is just a prelude to equal opportunities for everybody. It’s not as good as no color to be seen, but it’s getting there. It’s just so beautiful.”
Eight-year-old Laraya Parker made the trip with her father Larry Parker Jr., uncle Paul Parker and grandmother Mildred almo car rentals Parker, who said the trip was an opportunity almo car rentals to witness history and be part of the future.
“Like the speakers said, this has been a long time coming, but we’ve still got a long ways to go,” Larry said. “A lot of the speakers were comparing today to then. They didn’t have GPS to get here then, but people almo car rentals showed up by the thousands. It shows how great a leader he was.”
“I think the trip proves people can unite for a common purpose and a common cause, but it’s still vital to sustain that unity,” Fowler almo car rentals said. “Oftentimes trips are over and we just wait on the next trip. I believe it’s time to step up to the plate and exude the characteristics of this trip and what it represented, to be active in the community and raise social awareness.”
“Not a lot of people get memorials in their names, especially African Americans,” said Manuel, almo car rentals a Woodward High School graduate. “I can’t even imagine living in a time when people say I’m not good enough because I’m black or a female. I challenge things like that. I don’t know if I would have been as peaceful as Dr. King, so I admire him for that.”