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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 5:00 PM, JANUARY 14, 2005, Statement Re: Cathedral MLK Day Events/Counter Inaugural Recently published event calendars and newspaper advertisements, as well as websites and electronic bulletin boards are listing The Martin Luther King Day events at Washington National Cathedral as so-called “Counter-Inaugural Events.” Washington National Cathedral’s MLK Day commemoration includes an Interfaith Prayer Service at noon on Monday, January 17th, a youth-oriented non-violence program at 1:30 pm and a daylong exhibition Eyes Wide Open, sponsored in partnership with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). In no way are these events “counter-inaugural.” Eyes Wide Open is a memorial to the lives lost in the War in Iraq. It includes soldiers’ boots and civilian footwear arrayed across the Cathedral’s north aisle and it serves as a poignant reminder of the horror and loss of war in a contemplative and spiritual setting. The memorial complements Dr. King’s legacy of nonviolence and his vision of a world without war. (The AFSC has a strong historic connection to Dr. King – guiding him through a tour of India to learn about Mahatma Gandhi and publishing his Letter from a Birmingham Jail.)
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