Casino money helps fund AC civil rights memorial

John Curran

Monday, Nov. 26, 2001 | 9:19 a.m.

ATLANTIC CITY -- A memorial that commemorates the words and works of the nation's civil rights pioneers has been unveiled.

Former NAACP leader Benjamin Hooks joined with more than 300 people this month to dedicate the Civil Rights Garden at Carnegie Library, a park featuring 11 towering obelisks fashioned from African granite and etched with the words of Martin Luther King Jr. and others.

In a fiery 35-minute speech, Hooks applauded the construction of the $2 million memorial and told those assembled that the struggle for equality, which began with the first slaves in Jamestown, Va., isn't over.

"I want you young people to know: The struggle started in 1619. It didn't start a few days ago. And it continues today," said Hooks, who was the first black to be appointed to the Federal Communications Commission and later served 15 years as executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

The granite columns, which rise up out of the red brick pavers of the miniature park, surround a 7-foot bronze bell that adorns a red granite reflecting pool at the center of the garden.

The bell rings hourly.

Gingko trees, plantings and a giant upraised hand flank the garden, which was financed by the state Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, using casino tax revenues. The NAACP's Atlantic City branch, the Fellowship of Churches and Vision 2000 Community Development Corp. were partners in it.

"It's a place of reflection," said Rutgers University historian Clement Price, who selected the quotes and explanatory notes for the columns. "It will remind us of how much the present and the future are indebted to the past."

Children, especially, will learn from it, organizers hope.

"It's better than any textbook because they can see it with their own eyes," said the Rev. Milton Hendricks, who was among the speakers at the dedication ceremony.

The garden is located just off the casino strip, near the intersection of Pacific Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. It is open daily, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.