A statue depicting the moment when longtime L.A. County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at LAX was unveiled Wednesday in front of a Compton church.
KNX News’ Margaret Carrero reported that when Dr. King visited L.A. to preach in 1961, he wanted somebody official to greet him. L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, Kenneth’s daughter, said everybody else was too busy.
“This statue depicts my father being more than happy to go and greet Dr. King at LAX,” she said. “And when I look at the statue, it makes me think, you know, Dr. King must have, that must have made him feel welcome, because he was being spit upon and harassed and shamed probably most everywhere he went.”
Hahn said that when her father greeted Dr. King, they had extra time on their hands.
“So my father put Dr. King in his car, drove him around, and wanted to show him his district,” she said.
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At this point in time, Kenneth Hahn represented Watts, so that’s where he took Dr. King. After that, they went to the Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles.
“Then the two of them began to talk and Dr. King told my father of his hopes and his dreams for our country,” Hahn said. “And he talked about, wouldn't it be great if someday, you know, the children could play together, the adults could work together.”
By the time her father went home, Hahn said he was impressed with Dr. King.
Bishop LJ Guillory is the person who made this statue a reality. He said he hopes that people who see the statue will recognize that you can unite and make a difference.
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