“The new Ebenezer Baptist Church is on the opposite side of Auburn Avenue. A sculpture of a black man 
holding a baby up toward the heavens stands in an amphitheater on the grounds of the National Park Service’s 
King Visitor Center. The sculpture was inspired by the scene from Roots: “Behold the only thing greater than 
yourself,” Omoro Kinte  said to baby Kunta; Kunta as an adult, repeated it to his daughter, Kizzy, in Alex Haley’s 
epic tale. It reminded me of Daddy and me. His marble crypt stands in the middle of a reflecting pool on the 
grounds of the King Center. The inscription is simple:

                                                                           Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
                                                                                      1929-1968
                                               “Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, I’m free at last.”

Dexter Scott King in his preface to “Growing Up King: An Intimate Memoir”, Warner Books,
Copyright 2003 by Dexter Scott King.  ISBN 0-446-52942-7

                                                                                                 
Left: Dexter Scott King, former Atlanta Mayor, Bill Campbell, “Behold”                               Right: Sculptor’s wife, Amy, and daughter, Gabriella.
sculptor, Patrick Morelli.  


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