Here’s a solution
The latest round of overkill commentaries center around the proposed King monument that is currently slated to be constructed by Chinese sculptor Lei Yixin. Here’s another article:
(palmbeachpost.com) The choice of a sculptor is a giant step toward beginning construction. Instead of widespread approval, however, the committee’s choice of a Chinese artist has brought criticism from those who contend that an African-American - or at least an American - should have been selected for this unprecedented honor. Having the major component of the memorial created by a Chinese artist is considered the supreme outsourcing insult.
Two opponents outraged by the choice of Mr. Yixin are black painter Gilbert Young of Atlanta and human rights activist Ann Lau of Los Angeles. For different reasons, both insist that the committee’s choice is unacceptable. Mr. Young argues that, given the nature of the civil rights struggle, the honor of shaping the nation’s first monument to an African-American should be given to a black artist because “black artists have the right to interpret ourselves first.”
Chinese-born Ms. Lau believes that Dr. King would “bristle” at the prospect of the monument being sculpted in China, as he never would condone Beijing’s human rights abuses. She predicts the granite used will be mined by Chinese laborers working in unsafe and unfair conditions. Mr. Young, Ms. Lau and others plan to present an online petition of protest to the government in Washington this month.
Executive architect Ed Jackson Jr., president of the memorial foundation directing the project, has expressed surprise that such dissension has erupted. From the beginning, he said an international competition was held to decide such matters. About 900 design entries were received from 52 countries and six continents. That list was reduced to 21 proposals before a final design decision was made.
Ten of the 12 people on the selection committee that chose sculptor Mr. Yixin are black. Mr. Jackson insists that neither the artist’s ethnic identity nor his politics should be a factor because Dr. King taught that we must “transcend race, our tribe, our class, and our nation … and develop a world perspective.” Also, because the first African-American to win the Nobel Peace Prize belongs to the world. (source)
Please re-read what I bolded in that last paragraph!
Here is my solution: Since Yixin actually won the competition, let him build one statue and have one of the Black finalist build the affirmative action version.
Didn’t King say something about not being judged by the color of your skin? Maybe that was Don King? Big Daddy Kane? Regina King? Burger King?
A very childish debate, indeed.
If you’re going to blog about a topic, at least have your facts straight. (OK, I was tempted to finish that sentence with CLOWN…but didn’t). These are the facts. There was a competition for the original design for the memorial site. That took place in 2000. There were more than 900 entries–each paying $75 for the honor of designing a monument to our beloved Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Roma group, a white design firm based in California, won the “blind” competition. They were “assisted” with their entry by the head of the King Research Institute, Clayborne Carson. No other entrant was favored with Carson’s input. Once our King Is Ours protest began, and we made that bit of info public, Roma quietly bowed out (didn’t read about that did ‘ya). They were replaced by a black, female run firm from DC. Things have to “look” right, RIGHT? The announcement that Yixin would sculpt King was announced in February. For your information, Yixin is famous for being a government sponsored artist in the People’s Republic of China most widely known for his many, many, (14 at last count) sculptures of the murderer Mao Tse Tung. The granite will come from China, quarried using slave labor–that means underaged workers who are not properly protected from the silica dust–which kills. FYI: American granite unions have just joined what you call our “childish debate”. Apparently, $10 million in federal funds was allocated to the monument, and no U.S. company was allowed to bid on the granite contract. The unions are angry, and so are a few State Rep’s and Senators. Ann Lau is a human rights activist, and a member of our team. She has brought Dr. Harry Wu on board. If you don’t know who he is…read a book. Now, to Yixin. He was “recommended.” There was no competition. What you don’t know is that Ed Dwight, America’s first black astronaut, and creator of more than 90 national monuments, was the artist contracted to be named artist-of-record for the King monument. Yixin was brought in as a subcontractor to take Dwight’s small clay model and make it into a 28 foot sculpture. When Yixin presented his model, Dwight wrote a 13 page critique of his work. Apparently, the deal was done to acquire the Chinese granite, and Dwight was making big waves. He was kicked to the curb, and Yixin was quietly moved into position as artist-of-record. So let’s see, you’ve got an artist who knows nothing about King or the Civil Rights movement, who is known for his sculptures of a mass murderer. You’ve got stone for a monument to Dr. King being quarried using slave labor. And you’ve got an illegal transaction involving millions in federal funds. From what I read in your blog, that’s OK with you… You want to quote Dr. King? Here’s one for you: “Where do we go from here? First, we must massively assert our dignity and worth. We must stand up amidst a system that still oppresses us and develop an unassailable and majestic sense of value. We must no longer be ashamed of being black. The job of arousing manhood within a people that have been taught for so many centuries that they are nobody is not easy.” MLK in his last address as president to the SCLC.
You “bold faced” the sentence about the King Foundation committee members choosing Lei, and you’re right, they DID agreed to the choice of Yixin. But the King Foundation’s PR firm used an eraser on the words “to serve as subcontractor.” If you’re going to spread the word, my brother, make sure you get it right. Lea Winfrey Young
Comment by Lea Winfrey Young | September 27, 2007