"Before me stands monuments of the greatest and the goodness of our nation— monuments of light and liberty. There is a towering memorial to George Washington. The general who led our revolution, the president who set our nation on its course. There’s a memorial to Thomas Jefferson, whose words about liberty and equality literally changed the world. And across the tidal basin from the Jefferson memorial, there stands Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his arms crossed, his eyes fixed ahead toward the promised land where equality is not only an aspiration but a reality. They help define who we are. Guide what we do. Remind us of the work that history has given us in our own time."