After Hurricane Irene derailed plans for an August ceremony, the dedication for the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., finally took place on Oct. 16. A series of luminaries — including Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), Andrew Young, Cicely Tyson and President Barack Obama — spoke, and singers such as Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Mary Mary entertained the crowd.
The Root talked to NAACP President Ben Jealous about what causes King would embrace were he alive today and chatted with other attendees about why they came to the ceremony and what the civil rights leader means to them. We also got some great footage of audience members singing "Happy Birthday" along with Stevie Wonder.
For more video coverage from the ceremony, go to the Washington Post.