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Interior Secretary Salazar Visits The King Center, MLK PARK

On May 27th Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar visited The King Center and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. Secretary Salazar visited the exhibits in the Site’s Visitors Center, Ebenezer Baptist Church Heritage Sanctuary, Dr. King’s birth home and Dr. and Mrs. King’s crypt. It was Secretary Salazar’s first visit to the King Historic Site, which is under his authority as Secretary of the Interior. He was appointed by President Obama to serve as the 50th Secretary of the Department of Interior.

After touring the exhibits in the Visitors Center, Secretary Salazar was joined by Mrs. Christine King Farris, sister of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Vice Chair/Treasurer of The King Center, who lead his party on a tour of Ebenezer Baptist Church Heritage Sanctuary, followed by visits to Dr. and Mrs. King’s crypt, where they laid a wreath, and then Dr. King’s birth home, where Ms. Farris was born and raised. Mrs. Farris gave Secretary Salazar a personal tour of the birth home, sharing many memories and stories of the King family’s life, when she and her brothers were raised in the home.

Joining Mrs. Farris and Secretary Salazar were: Ms. Judy Forte, Superintendent of the King Historic Site; National Park Service Southeast Regional Director David Vela; Ebenezer Baptist Church pastor Rev. Raphael Warnock; Mr. Eric Tidwell, Managing Director of The King Center; and a host of park rangers, King Center and Interior Department staff members, along with various representatives of the media.

Following the tour of the King Historic Site, Secretary Salazar addressed the media on the lawn adjacent to Dr. King’s birth home, where he spoke about the importance of The King Historic Site and shared his vision for the future of America’s parks and historic sites.