MLK BloomCherry blossoms and the Stone of Hope during sunrise at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. The wreaths placed against the Stone of Hope were placed on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

Last Wednesday was the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. I was at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial the day after and took the above photo. On the day of the anniversary, the National Council of Churches held an all day rally to combat systemic racism. They gathered in the morning at the Memorial and marched to the National Mall. I assume they left the wreaths at the Stone of Hope (in the photo above).

The anniversary coincidentally coincided with the peak bloom of the cherry blossoms. Normally huge crowds of tourists would be gathered at the memorial and around the Tidal Basin to admire the cherry blossoms. However, instead of encountering crowds on the morning after the anniversary, I found a quiet and solemn sunrise. It seemed appropriate.

I took some photos of the sunrise as well, but I wanted to publish my photos of the Memorial first. This next photo is of the Memorial two days later.

Springtime at the Martin Luther King Jr. MemorialCherry blossoms and the Stone of Hope at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. The wreaths placed against the Stone of Hope were placed two days earlier on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.