Keep on Moving

During the time artist Eleanor Hand was collaborating with the participants at the Harriett G. Darnell Senior Multipurpose Facility to design this sculpture, she heard a speech on the radio given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at St. Luke’s Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama on May 5, 1963: “We must keep moving. If you can’t fly, run. If you can’t run, walk; if you can’t walk, crawl; but by all means, keep moving.” These sentiments seemed to capture perfectly the seniors’ values and the various activities of the senior facility. The four figures, in turn, were inspired by the quotation. Cut from stainless steel and ornamented with copper overlay, the figures are joined at the center express the unity of the community. With permission, portions of Dr. King’s quotation are engraved along the octagonal granite base of the sculpture’s pedestal, along with similar positive messages to the community from the seniors themselves.