5 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Statements That Were Faked or Misquoted

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Monday, January 16, 2017

2. "Drum Major for Justice"

In August 2011, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC was officially opened to much anticipation and positive feedback.

However, soon a concern arose over a quote chiseled into the side of one of the statues. The statement attributed to King read as follows: "I was a drum major for justice, peace, and righteousness."

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As CBS News reported, the statement at the Memorial misinterpreted the actual "drum major" quote that King delivered decades earlier.

"If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice, say that I was a drum major for peace," stated King in actuality. "I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter."

Concerns over the arrogant-sounding quote eventually led to the removal of the statement from the side of the monument in August 2013.