Some MSU students and faculty members are happy to hear about the construction of a monument in Washington, D.C., to honor Martin Luther King Jr. — especially with the recent passage of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative fresh in their minds.

The initiative bans race- and gender-based preference in university admissions and government hiring and contracting.

Political science and pre-law sophomore Teresa Almanza said students in Michigan are going through a "rough time right now," and the memorial could help keep people focused on civil rights.

"He was one of the greatest leaders in our country because he fought for civil rights," Almanza said, adding that if King was alive, he would have the support of many college students. "He would take all the actions he took in the past (to combat the MCRI). Now there are more people who are out for the cause."

Marketing junior Mike Hicks thought King's actions earned him a memorial, but said the civil rights leader's feelings about Proposal 2 might not have been so cut-and-dry.

"(The initiative) was taking a step forward and backwards at the same time," Hicks said. "It is a touchy subject for everybody. It would have been one for him to."

President Bush joined former President Clinton and a host of civil rights figures and members of Congress to celebrate the monument to be built not far from where King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963.

The entrance to the memorial will include a central sculpture called "The Mountain of Despair." Its towering split rocks signify the divided America that inspired the nonviolent efforts of King and others to overcome racial and social barriers.

"We give Martin Luther King his rightful place among the many Americans honored on the National Mall," Bush said at the ceremony. "(King's memorial) will unite the men who declared the promise of America and defended the promise of America with the man who redeemed the promise of America."

Clinton, who signed legislation in 1996 authorizing the memorial, received a standing ovation from the largely black crowd. He spoke about King's commitment to nonviolence and social justice causes, including the ending of poverty, saying those goals still have not yet been achieved.

"If he were here, he would remind us that the time to do right remains," Clinton said.

The King memorial, slated to open in the spring of 2008, will be the first monument in the park at Washington's core dedicated to both a civilian and black leader. It is also probably among the last monuments to be constructed on the Mall, following a 2003 vote in Congress to sharply limit development of the parkland.

African Studies instructor Lindile Ndlebe said the construction of the monument is long overdue, as King is the first and only black man to be added to the memorials.

The stage in front of the crowd was filled with supporters, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and three of King's children. A gospel choir sang, and Maya Angelou read poetry. Children read essays they had written about King.

The memorial was first conceived in 1983 by members of King's fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha. But it has been beset by delays and fundraising issues — the memorial's foundation still has only $70 million of the estimated $100 million construction cost.

Donations for the memorial, which have mostly come from major corporations, hit $65.5 million earlier this month.

Spanish junior Caitlin Dark said she was surprised King did not have a monument on the National Mall already.

"(King) spearheaded the civil rights movement and ended a lot of oppression," Dark said.

King's opinion of the MCRI would depend on how it affects people, Dark said.

"If it makes things more equal, he would be for it," Dark said. "If it doesn't, I definitely don't think so."

But Ndlebe said King would be greatly disappointed in Michigan's passage of the MCRI.

"Affirmative action is one of the things Dr. King fought for," Ndlebe said. "I certainly think he is disappointed and turning in his grave."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Staff writer Fredricka Paul can be reached at paulfred@msu.edu.