The Tribulations of Martin Luther King's Memorial and Memory

The Tribulations of Martin Luther King's Memorial and Memory

The Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial just can’t catch a break.

Twenty-five years in the making, the $120 million, 30 foot statue set on 4 acres near the northwest corner of the Tidal Basin may have its official, opening day ceremonies spoiled by Hurricane Irene but if that were the only element to tarnish the festivities it would be a blessing to King’s memory and his admirers.

The fact the representation of King, eleven feet taller than the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials, was incongruously placed on the National Mall as the only monument not memorializing an American president or our fallen soldiers wouldn’t dismay those admirers who would think that all very fitting and proper but other facts could and should dismay them.

For example, the sculpture makes him look more like a ticked-off, giant Buddha than a black revolutionary, which is understandable in view of another fact, that the 16 ton statue was carved out of Chinese granite by Lei Yixin, a master sculptor from China’s Yunan province who includes on his resume’ two renderings of the late Chinese dictator, Chairman Mao Zedong.

One would have thought that King’s family would have insisted on an African-American sculptor to reflect his heritage and labors on behalf of blacks in America but one would then be wrong. His son, Martin Luther King III, is very supportive and claims, ”This particular artist: he has done a good job.”

Some non-family members have disagreed and protested that he would be “turning over in his grave” if he knew the truth. (http://tgr.ph/qAzu0P)

Of course, the King family has a vested interest, in addition to the obvious, in the memorial.

Financing for the project came principally from fundraisers at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Monument Foundation which has paid over $832,000 to the King family . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=5275)