Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial - Stone of Hope

The central sculpture, called the Stone of Hope, is a 30-foot-tall statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. carved from white granite by Chinese sculptor Lei Yixin and dedicated in 2011. The memorial’s design places the Stone of Hope across from two large granite boulders called the ‘Mountain of Despair’ and incorporates quotations from King’s speeches. The choice of Lei Yixin and aspects of the memorial’s design generated public debate during planning.