A grant from Delta Air Lines is making it possible for Atlanta’s Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park to reopen for the first time since the partial government shutdown, which began three days before Christmas.
The park officially reopened Saturday, in time for the holiday weekend.
The annual holiday honors the slain civil rights leader — and this year would have been his 90th birthday.
“Without the assistance provided by The Delta Air Lines Foundation, it [the park] would have remained closed during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend,” said a National Park Service spokesman, as NPR reported.
Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian, said the company “felt it was important we do our part to ensure that the historical landmarks be accessible to the public,” according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
A grant in the amount of $83,505 will help cover the costs of reopening and cleaning up the King park, the National Park Service (NPS) said. The money will also be used to pay maintenance costs and staff who wouldn’t be paid under the NPS’s fee collection fund.
“The park will reopen to visitors January 19, 2019 through February 3, 2019 thanks to a grant from The Delta Air Lines Foundation and revenue generated by the National Park Service recreation fees. We are looking forward to your visit,” the national park’s website says.
Today we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for standing up for the self-evident truth Americans hold so dear, that no matter what the color of our skin or the place of our birth, we are all created equal by God. #MLKDay https://t.co/pEaVpCB8M4
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2019
It’s a great day, @realDonaldTrump says during quick visit to the Martin Luther King Jr memorial. pic.twitter.com/vUhP7EP3v6
— Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) January 21, 2019
Delta Airlines was founded in Atlanta and has its headquarters there.
Sunday, February 3, meanwhile, marks the date of the Super Bowl, hosted in Atlanta — which means the King park, fewer than three miles away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium where the game between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams will be played — may potentially see thousands of visitors.
Interestingly, the funding deal in Atlanta is one of the most high-profile cases of a third party’s stepping in to open a national park to visitors amid the partial government shutdown, which today is in its 31st day.
There are more than 40 other situations of third-party funding in place, NPR noted.
Check out this video:
Elizabeth Economou is a former CNBC staff writer and adjunct professor. Follow her on Twitter.
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.