A student committee begins raising money today for a national Martin Luther King Jr. memorial to be in Washington, D.C., said the committee’s adviser.Deanne Chandler, the program coordinator for Inclusiveness and Intercultural Services, launched the committee and will take the first steps by selling “Build the Dream” wristbands at all Martin Luther King Jr. Day events planned at TCU.

The memorial will be built between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, according to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Foundation Web site.

The building of the memorial was proposed by several members of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity in January 1984. The groundbreaking ceremony took place in November 2006, and it is expected to be completed by 2008, according to the Web site.

Chandler said the national memorial will signify America’s recognition of King’s contributions to the nation as a whole.

“When you begin to recognize it as a full monument, I think it changes perception,” Chandler said. “I hope that eventually there will be a Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday event that’s televised – similar to what we do on Memorial Day and Labor Day.”

Events celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day include a video of King’s speeches to be shown at the Brown-Lupton Student Center Lounge, a luncheon for faculty and staff and an observance and worship service hosted by the Brite Divinity School.

The student committee will sell wristbands at different campus events and set up tables for information and donations a few times a month throughout the next semester, Chandler said.

Chandler also said she predicts the committee will host one major event specifically for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Foundation effort next fall.

“For a memorial to be built in honor of a person means that person is truly being marked as a hero and as a model of America at its best,” said Stacey M. Floyd-Thomas, Brite’s associate professor of ethics and director of black church studies.