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Pillars of Hope and Justice – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Public Art Monument


Location:   Northwest Corner of West Main Street and Ewing Street in Downtown Fort Wayne.

About:    Pillars of Hope and Justice commemorates the historic visit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Fort Wayne on June 5, 1963, where he shared his vision of nonviolent resistance. The monument features the six pillars of nonviolent resistance, evoking both ancient architectural pillars and reeds of papyrus. Each is composed of words from King’s speech in Fort Wayne. For Dr. King, the six pillars of nonviolent resistance were defined in opposition to the values of Egypt as told in the Exodus story. This form symbolizes the tension between authority and vulnerability, justice and compassion, struggle and shared human frailty. The reed resonates with the powerful tradition of Black preaching on the “New Exodus.” In Isaiah 42:1-4, the reed is a metaphor for nonviolent leadership for justice: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold…I was put my Spirit in him, and he will bring justice to the nations…A bruised reed he will not break….” The Hebrew prophet Isaiah inspired Dr. King and many other Fort Wayne faith leaders.

Because a complete, fully recorded version of his speech was not known to exist, the Fort Wayne History Center collected, assembled and ordered all documented remarks, as repeated in area newspapers. The reconstruction relied on fractional transcriptions from five distinct sources and represented approximately one-quarter of the content spoken by Dr. King during that historical event. For more information on the reconstruction of the speech, click HERE

To hear the reconstructed speech as read by Rev. Dr. Bill McGill click play below:

To view a close captioned video of the reconstructed speech as read by Rev. Dr. Bill McGill click play below:

Artists: Shane Allbritton and Norman Lee (RE:site Studios)

Funding:    City of Fort Wayne; Harriett Inskeep; The Journal Gazette Foundation; The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, a fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, a fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne and the Fort Wayne Public Art Commission.

Dedication:      June 5, 2023

Link To view the video of the Dedication Event.
Link To view the video of the 60th Anniversary Event featuring Martin Luther King III.

Dedication photos:

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Background information:

On February 4, 2020, Fort Wayne City Council passed a resolution sponsored by Councilpersons Chambers and Jehl initiating a process for the creation of a public display commemorating the words and visit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Fort Wayne in 1963. City Council recognizes the social value of memorializing Dr. King’s dream of racial equality and harmony and celebrating the words he spoke at the Scottish Rite Auditorium, now the USF Performing Arts Center. Dr. King visited Fort Wayne on June 5, 1963 on his journey to Washington, D.C. where he would make the historic “I Have a Dream” speech just two months later.

At the direction of City Council, the Public Art Commission created a selection committee and issued a Request for Qualifications in February 2021. Upon review of a number of submissions, the selection Committee invited three qualified respondents to submit a proposal. In August 2021, the Selection Committee recommended a proposal called Pillars of Hope and Justice submitted by Shane Albritton and Norman Lee of RE:site Studio for Public Art Commission approval. The Public Art Commission approved the Selection Committee’s recommendation.

The Fort Wayne Public Art Commission hosted an artist talk regarding the Pillars of Hope and Justice Monument in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Thursday, June 9, 2022. The talk featured one of the artists, Shane Allbritton with RE:site, along with team member Caitlin Dashiell with Metalab. The RE:site team also shared inspiration for the design and information on fabrication. To see a narrated version of this presentation, click HERE.

The Pillars of Hope and Justice Monument was dedicated on June 5, 2023.  Special guest and featured speaker, Martin Luther King III attended the dedication event and 60th Anniversary Celebration that followed at the USF Robert Goldstine Performing Arts Center.

The project was funded by the City of Fort Wayne; Harriett Inskeep; The Journal Gazette Foundation; The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, a fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, and the Fort Wayne Public Art Commission.

Monument installation photos:

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