WASHINGTON, D.C. (WUSA)-- After months of controversy over words written on the north side of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is calling for a change.
Salazar has given the National Park Service 30 days to correct the inaccuracy.
The words, " I was a drum major for justice peace and righteousness" currently are displayed on the memorial.
Those familiar with the February 1968 speech where that message was taken from argued that those were not the original words said by Dr. King.
The exact words were "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."
The more condensed version of that message was paraphrased for the memorial, but some say the way it currently reads changes the tone of the message.
Phoebia Horigan who came to the see the memorial from New Jersey said that taking out the " If" and "You" from the quote "kind of gives you the impression that he was being arrogant.
It's still unclear how much the fix would cost. Despite our request, neither the National Park Service or Interior's Security office would comment on the price.
The 30-day window will allow the Martin Luther King Foundation as well as the King family to come up with a suitable alternative.
As for why the tight deadline for the change and why now, the Washington Post quoted Secretary Salazar as saying "things only happen when you put a deadline on it."