Dr. King memorial restored

The memorial marker for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. which stands at the first median of Martin Luther King Boulevard, in Franklin, was returned to its place Monday morning, just in time for the MLK Day March at noon.
The memorial had been at Daniel Granite for two years, being rebuilt and refurbished after having fallen from its base for the third time since its erection in 2009.
According to Diane Wiltz of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee of St. Mary, the last time the memorial was knocked down, the slab which made up the majority of the memorial’s bulk had been damaged to the point of disrepair and had to be rebuilt entirely. The base of the original memorial however, was salvageable and was able to be refurbished.
The newly set memorial served as a centerpiece for a brief prayer by Pastor Deandre Johnson Sr. of St. Stephen Baptist Church.
The march began at the corner of MLK Boulevard and Wall Street, continued onto Main Street following Johnson’s prayer, and culminated at Triumph Baptist Church on Iberia Street.
Marchers could be heard singing “We Shall Overcome” as they marched to pay homage to King and his historic marches of the 1960’s to bring non-violent attention to racial inequality in America.
Wiltz said the MLK Jr. Committee is also seeking to erect a protective barrier around the newly set memorial, to prevent any more defacing of the granite marker.