Obama to speak at inauguration of King memorial

US President Barack Obama will speak at the dedication of a monument to civil rights leader Martin Luther King that has been rescheduled to October 16, the White House said on Wednesday.

The imposing stone monument on the National Mall in Washington was to have been dedicated on August 28, the 48th anniversary of King's riveting "I Have a Dream" appeal for racial equality in America.

But the passage of Hurricane Irene up the US East Coast forced the date to be pushed back.

In a brief statement, the White House said: "On Sunday, October 16, President Obama will deliver remarks at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial dedication on the National Mall."

King, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, championed an end to racial segregation through non-violence and civil disobedience. He was assassinated in April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 39.

His $120 million memorial was designed by Chinese sculptor Lei Yixin and carved from imported Chinese granite.