Pillars of Hope and Justice commemorates the historic visit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Fort Wayne in June 1963, where he shared his vision of nonviolent resistance. Our concept resonates at multiple levels with Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision of nonviolent resistance, bringing together ancient and contemporary. We were very inspired by King’s Six Pillars of Nonviolent Resistance and the Ancient Greek Notion of “Agape.”  The monument features six pillars set in a circular configuration around a stone or concrete plaza. Each pillar will evoke both ancient architectural pillars and growing reeds of papyrus that emerge from the ground and bend outwards at the top. The organic form of papyrus reeds evokes Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision of nonviolent resistance. Within each pillar is a light that dramatically illuminates the structures at night, creating six radiant beacons of hope and justice. The arc of the moral universe is long, and we pass on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King to “bend the arc” for justice in our time.

Pillars of Hope and Justice is composed of six unique pillars, each set on a cast stone plinth resembling a classical column. The plinth block will measure approximately 26” square with a circular profile transitioning to the column. Each column is composed of 14 individual “flutes” which are approximately 4” wide and contain the text of Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous speech delivered near this site. The flutes are discretely welded together up to a height of approximately 8 feet, and then flare outward like shafts of papyrus bundles to a total height of approximately 14 feet. Each fluted section is cut from 1/4” thick steel.