Dr Martin Luther King JnrPrint Page

The bronze bust honours the life and legacy of American civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
 

Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist who was one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination on April 4, 1968. A Black church leader and a son of early civil rights activist and minister Martin Luther King Sr., King advanced civil rights for people of colour in the United States through nonviolence and civil disobedience. Inspired by his Christan beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi, he led targeted, nonviolent resistance against Jim Crow laws and other forms of discrimination.

King participated in and led marches for the right to vote, desegregation, labor rights, and other civil rights. He oversaw the 1955 Montgomery and later became the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). As president of the SCLC, he led the unsuccessful Albany Movement in Albany, Georgia, and helped organize some of the nonviolent 1963 protests in Birmingham, Alabama. King was one of the leaders of the 1963 March on Washingt where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

On October 14, 1964, King won the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance.  In 1968, King was planning a national occupation of Washington, D.C., to be called the Poor People`s Campaign, when he was assassinated on April 4 in Memphis,Tennessee. His death was followed by national mourning, as well as anger leading to riots in many U.S. cities. King was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2003. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established as a holiday in cities and states throughout the United States beginning in 1971; the federal holiday was first observed in 1986.

The first public sculpture in Australia honouring the life and legacy of American civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King Jr now stands among fellow human rights champions on the Library Lawn at UNSW Sydney. 

UNSW President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, and US Consul General – Sydney, Sharon Hudson-Dean, lifted the veil from the bronze bust of the Nobel Peace Prize winner during a ceremony on Thursday.

The audience in attendance included Jennie Lang, UNSW Honorary Fellow Eric Tidwell, Managing Director at Intellectual Properties Management, the licensing manager of the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr, members of the US Consulate General and the UNSW community.

In his remarks, Professor Jacobs said it was important to reflect on the progress society has made in furthering King’s vision 50 years after his untimely death. Professor Jacobs also acknowledged the vital role universities have in achieving a more just and equal society.  

"Equity, diversity and inclusion are essential if UNSW is to make a positive impact on, not just Sydney, not just Australia, but on the world," said Professor Jacobs. "I know that by having this bust here among other titans of human rights, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, Dr. King’s story will continue to inspire those who pass through this place."

Crafted by internationally recognised sculptor Zenos Frudakis the bust is a permanent tribute to Dr King whose tireless and impassioned campaigning in the African American civil rights movement led to the ending of racial segregation and racial discrimination in the United States.

The bust is the first sculpture of Dr King to be displayed in a public space in Australia and the only sculpture in the world to incorporate Frudakis’ most famous work, the Freedom Sculpture, which depicts the idea of struggling to break free.

Dr King’s quote, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that,” is also inscribed on the sculpture’s plinth.

The bust is part of an ongoing UNSW project to honour the world’s most inspiring leaders and celebrates the close ties between Australia and the United States. It was made possible through the generosity of UNSW alumni in North America and the UNSW US Foundation, the US Embassy Canberra, the US Consulate Sydney, the King Center for Non-Violent Social Change, the US Trumpet Awards, the Australian Embassy in Washington D.C., and the US State Department.
Media Office, UNSW, 19 October 2018. 

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