The statue, designed by Martin Dawe, was unveiled in 2017 and stands on the grounds of the Georgia State Capitol, overlooking Liberty Plaza.

[1] In January the following year, Deal appointed State Representatives Calvin Smyre and Joe Wilkinson to serve as liaisons with the King family for the creation of the statue.

[2] Later that year, sculptor Andy Davis of McDonough, Georgia was selected to design the statue, with an estimated timeline of six to seven months and a budget of $350,000.

[7] Dawe stated that he was concerned with making King look too stern, and instead opted to show him "stepping off", suggesting "a beginning and a hopefulness.

[7] The cost was covered by funding from the Georgia Building Authority, The Coca-Cola Company, the Atlanta Apartment Association, and the Department of Community Affairs’ Martin Luther King Jr.

[8] Benton had previously come under controversy over comments regarding the Ku Klux Klan and the role that slavery played in the origins of the American Civil War.