Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Sparks Controversy

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Sparks Controversy

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WASHINGTON —  The selection of a Chinese sculptor to carve a three-story monument to Martin Luther King Jr. on the National Mall is raising questions about what part of his legacy should be celebrated.
King promoted peace and understanding among all people. His primary fight, however, was to win particular opportunities for blacks in the United States by juxtaposing the plight of an oppressed people against a message of freedom and democracy.
A loose-knit but growing group of critics says a black artist — or at least an American...

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I understand why some black people think that a black artist should be in charge of this project, but for me the most important issue is that the person selected is associated with the Chinese Communist Party and apparently the marble for the statue will be from China, most likely quarried by people in near-slave labor conditions.

I'm certain Dr. King would be more concerned with that than color of the artist's skin.

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I DON'T understand why blacks would have a problem with a Chinese artist.

In situations like this all you have to do is turn it around.

What if a statue was to be made of a famous white american, and the white race demanded it be done by a white artist?

Enough said!

reply to post by RRconservative


I am not surprised at all anymore. People get slighted over anything and everything; never pleased anymore. They should be happy a memorial is built. Period. I have a problem with this type of memorial, however, no matter who it is, it's like idolatry to the max.

My one complaint is it should have been made from black onyx. 250 years from now are they going to understand that he was a black man or are they going to think he was white or mixed race. That would be the final injustice to the black race.

reply to post by djohnsto77

Kind of late now to get upset!

The only problem I have with it is that I DO see an aesthetic in the piece that is definitely not in the European tradition. The figure is walking right out of the stone, but is not free of it, and its lines are super clean.

So this artist brought an unfamiliar sensibility to the work.

The monument, as a whole, I think is great. I had not heard about the planning of it, so it was a complete surprise to me. The fact that we have a monument in Washington DC for that man speaks louder to me than the exact style of the sculpture. But I am sure that the unusual (for the US) style of the sculpture will be remarked on for years to come.

Once again, I going to say that I am personally offended that white liberals insist on using my skin color as their weapon.

THESE ARE THE PEOPLE PERPETUATING RACISM IN THIS COUNTRY!