Poet Maya Angelou has reportedly taken issue with a paraphrased version of a quotation inscribed on the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial that, according to Angelou, makes the Civil Rights leader appear as a “arrogant twit.” Angelou stated that the phrase is out of context.
King stated, “Yes, 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. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.”
The memorial reads: “I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.”
“He had a humility that comes from deep inside,” Angelou said. “The `if’ clause that is left out is salient. Leaving it out changes the meaning completely.”
