Atlanta– Secretary of State Brian Kemp is moving the portrait of civil rights icon the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to make space for the new portrait of outgoing Gov. Sonny Perdue.
A new location for King’s likeness, on the north wall of the Capitol within sight of its current spot, also will space to include interpretive material about King’s significance, Kemp’s spokesman said.
“Currently there are not those kind of museum quality labels that talk about his achievements and the civil rights history of Georgia. So the new location will have that museum feel,” Matt Carrothers said.
Kemp consulted with Rep. Calvin Smyre, D-Columbus, the former chairman of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission, and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and other African-American leaders before moving the portrait.
“I think that [new spot] is a good location,” Smyre said. “There needs to be some prominence given to it, and once you get a permanent location, it becomes a destination for tourists and visitors.”
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