Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Memorial - Sculpture

Outsourcing of King sculpture is disappointing

Out of more than 312 million people, we couldn't find a single American sculptor to design and carve a sculpture as a memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? No one in the National Foundation for the Arts could find an African-American to do this here in America? Keep in mind that this is a $120 million project.

We are now outsourcing our national monuments to a Chinese communist artist best known for his depiction for Chairman Mao? Not only was the design done by a Chinese national that could only communicate through his son, translating from Mandarin Chinese, but this sculpture was actually made in China. The granite was mined in China, likely by miners in questionable safety conditions; all of the carving was done in China; and, in spite of previous promises, the actual construction was done by imported Chinese laborers who, according to Wikipedia, "were not being paid on a regular basis, with all of their pay being withheld until they return to China."

Seems that the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. monument on the National Mall is the Wal-Mart of monuments - made in China.

Always the enterprising capitalists, the King family also extracted $800,000 for the use of his words and image in fundraising materials for the memorial.

Very sad.

Tim Means

Wailuku