A Grant For A King

MLK National Historical Park Opens For Holiday

Thanks to a grant from the Delta Airlines Foundation the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park will be open to celebrate the civil rights leader’s birth and legacy (January 19 through February 3).

Since the lapse of government funding on Dec. 21st, many federal government funded museums have been closed. Among them the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta, Georgia which is administered by the National Park Service.  Included as part of the historical park are: Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth home, the original Ebenezer Baptist Church, the park visitor center, The Gandhi Promenade and The International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.

As the government shutdown continues, the park would have remained closed through Martin Luther King Jr.’s National Holiday which falls on January 21.

The $83,500 grant will cover administrative, maintenance and clean up fees as well as operating costs for employees furloughed due to the shutdown.   

In an interview with the National Park Service, CEO of Delta Air Lines and Trustee of Delta Air Lines Foundation Ed Bastian said, “As we celebrate his life and legacy this holiday weekend, we felt it was important we do our part to ensure that the historical landmarks be accessible to the public…Dr. King was about bringing people together and at Delta, we are about making the world a smaller place.”