Groundbreaking held for 2 statues at Houston's MLK Memorial Plaza

HOUSTON – A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday for two of four new statues to be installed at Houston's Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Plaza.

The plaza opened in 2014 with a larger-than-life statue of the civil rights leader and granite tiles that show a chronicle of his life and quotes from his speeches.

An expansion project aims to include other civil rights icons in the “Tree of Life” Reflection Area with the installation of four statues.

“This is a special day to commemorate and to continue to remember Martin Luther King (and) the other pioneers that will be here,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.

The first two of those statues enshrine Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela. A memorial wall will also be added to the plaza.

The community will be able to provide their opinion about the other two statues that will be installed.

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