City of Memphis greenlights $700K I AM A MAN Plaza creation

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) - To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Memphis is working to create an I AM A MAN Plaza.

The UrbanArt Commission and the City of Memphis announced the development project Wednesday.

Both groups are searching for an artist to work closely with a landscape architect to design and create the plaza.

Memphis leaders hope the plaza will be a place of reflection that invites all people to work to advance equality, justice, and positive social change.

"We want this to be a place of the respite," marketing manager Allison Fouche said. "I want this to be a place of reflection, a place where people can convene and talk about social change, where people can go and learn more about what happened in the movement."

The plaza will be located next to Clayborn Temple, which was a focal point of the Memphis Sanitation Worker's strike.

The entire project has a budget of $700,000. To apply to be the artist in charge of the plaza's creation, click here.

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