ABOUT USMartin Luther King Memorial

Products & Solutions

Johnson Controls Foundation grant supports new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Martin Luther King Memorial
The new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C., is the first monument on the National Mall to honor a person of color and a non-president. A grant from the Johnson Controls Foundation helped support development of the 30-foot granite monument.

“The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is important to our entire nation,” said Mary Dowell, director of global community relations for Johnson Controls. “It will be a place where people can gather to honor a man who changed our history -- a sanctuary where future generations can come to be inspired by Dr. King's legacy and learn how they can continue the important work of making his dream a reality.”

The MLK Memorial project was the brainchild of Alpha Phi Alpha, the world’s oldest intercollegiate fraternity founded by African American men. Fraternity leaders conceived the idea in 1984, 16 years after Dr. King’s death and only months after President Reagan signed the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday into law.

The sculpture of King with his arms crossed appears to emerge from a stone extracted from a mountain. It was carved by the Chinese artist Lei Yixin. The design was inspired by a line from the “I Have a Dream” speech: “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” It is situated on the Tidal Basin in a direct line between the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials.

Lisa Menzies, national solutions business development director for Johnson Controls Building Efficiency, visited the memorial along with Johnson Controls customers from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Menzies said she was awed by the experience and said Johnson Controls customers felt the same.

“It was breathtaking,” she said. “Every child should visit it. It’s unbelievable and it made me proud to know the company I work for was a supporter of the monument.”

More than 1.5 million people visited the memorial in the month after it opened. The cost of the monument was $120 million.
MEMORIAL WEB SITE
View the official Web site of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. more
FOUNDATION
The Johnson Controls Foundation provides financial gifts to select U.S.-based organizations located in the communities in which the company has a presence. more
PHILANTHROPIC REPORT
Philanthropic Report
Our Philanthropic Report presents a snapshot of the ways we impact the communities in which we live and work. more
Suppliers Employees Contact Site map Privacy Terms of use
© 2012 Johnson Controls. All rights reserved.