Martin Luther King Jr. Bust

Was it a dream deferred, or a dream finally realized? Here at the Martin Luther King Jr. Bust in Savannah, that question hangs heavy in the air. This bronze bust, unveiled on January 15, 2022, King’s 93rd birthday, marks the first monument in Savannah to honor Dr. King. The bust sits in Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, at the northern end of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, in the Plant Riverside District. It’s a significant location, a symbolic endpoint to a street named in his honor. The story of this bust is complex, a blend of triumph and controversy. Surprising as it may seem, Savannah, a city with a majority African American population, took decades to erect a monument to this iconic civil rights leader. Dr. King’s connection to Savannah runs deep. He visited the city multiple times, even practicing his “I Have a Dream” speech at the Second African Baptist Church on Greene Square. In 1964, he declared Savannah “the most desegregated city south of the Mason-Dixon line.” The creation of this monument, a collaboration between The Kessler Collection, the Georgia Power Foundation, and the City of Savannah, was ten years in the making. However, its unveiling wasn’t without its critics. The likeness of the bust has been debated, with some feeling it doesn’t capture Dr. King’s features accurately. The artist, Franco Castelluccio, an Italian sculptor, also known for his work at the JW Marriott Plant Riverside, faced criticism for his interpretation. But despite the controversy, the Martin Luther King Jr. Bust stands as a testament to a dream, however delayed, finally taking form. It invites us to reflect on the legacy of Dr. King, his impact on Savannah, and the ongoing struggle for equality.