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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. honored in new Atlanta statue

The unveiling is planned three days ahead of the 55th anniversary of his assassination.

ATLANTA — Civil rights icon and pivotal leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be honored with a statue in one of Atlanta's historic neighborhoods. The statue will be unveiled Saturday.

Two Georgia artists, Kathy Fincher and Stan Mullins, sculpted the statue. 

According to officials, the statue depicts Dr. King’s famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech. The statue of the civil rights icon will live in the Rodney Cook Sr. Peace Park in Atlanta’s Historic Vine City after the unveiling.

The unveiling is planned three days ahead of the 55th anniversary of Dr. King's assassination. 

Mullins' and Fincher's will be one of 18 statues dedicated to 300 years of Georgia’s icons of peace, officials said. Fincher, a Duluth artist, noticed that in all statues created of Dr. King, none of them showed him talking. 

This inspired her to depict him while he was giving a speech. According to Fincher, his hands are raised in the sculpture because he seeking guidance from Heaven. 

Mullins wanted viewers to be inspired by the statue, so he was careful with every detail, according to the World Peace Rival behind-the-scenes video.

The World Peace Revival and the King Center are teaming up Saturday at the unveiling to honor Dr. King's legacy on world peace. The unveiling ceremony will begin with a peace walk on Backyard Way at 10:45 a.m.

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