Your life’s blueprint should be a deep belief in your own dignity and worth

Sharing Stories from their lives growing up in Arkadelphia, the citizens inspired a memorial to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that would also serve as a new city park. In Dr. King’s 1967 speech, “What Is Your Life Blueprint?” he uses the importance of a “good, solid blueprint” to illustrate the significance of planning one’s life.

The design of the new park pulls specifically from two passages in the speech, “your life’s blueprint should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your worth,” and, as he goes on to say, your plan should include “the determination to achieve excellence.”

The goal is a park that reflects a commitment to providing a solid foundation. Because of the park’s central location, surrounding neighborhoods, schools, churches, and businesses have access.
The memorial site provides an educational setting with gathering places for school and civic groups to learn local history. It is a place for the entire community to enjoy splash fountains, a “youth empowerment zone” featuring an inclusive play area, basketball courts, and restrooms.

The streetscapes lend themselves to the idea that the area is for all who wish to learn and communicate the message of Dr. King’s speech to “Be the best of whatever you are.”