MLK A Stone of Hope
Set amidst DC’s famed cherry trees, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is the first memorial dedicated to an African American on the National Mall. The most recent memorial to be installed upon this great American public space, it is a poignant reminder of both the great intentions and the great controversies that surround such a work.
Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is the first memorial dedicated to an African American on the National Mall. The most recent memorial to be installed upon this great American public space, it is a poignant reminder of both the great intentions and the great controversies that surround such a work.
The memorial stands halfway between the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial – its placement was meant to symbolize a visual “line of leadership” with two other great Americans who worked to secure citizens’ freedoms. It is located along the northwest corner of the Tidal Basin and is surrounded by cherry blossom trees symbolizing peace and unity. Every year, their delicate blossoms will peak around April 4th, the date of Dr. King’s assassination.
Despite these noble intentions, controversy surrounds the memorial. There is the “Made in China” controversy, for starters. Many take issue with the fact that an American wasn’t chosen to create the 30-foot sculpture (it is the work of Chinese master sculptor, Lei Yixin, and ten other Chinese sculptors). Also, there’s concern that the sculpture is made from Chinese granite that is rumored to have been quarried under questionable conditions. Additionally, despite promises that American union workers would assemble and install the sculpture, the job was ultimately done by Chinese workers. Like the more than 150 blocks of granite comprising the sculpture, the workers came from China to the U.S. There are claims that they were not fairly compensated for their work. There is also the “Drum Major” controversy, which concerns the botched paraphrasing of a famous Dr. King quote engraved on the sculpture itself. This has caused such an uproar that, on the eve of the first celebration of MLK Day at the memorial, it was announced that the paraphrase will be revised to more accurately reflect Dr. King’s actual quote.
CAPITALINAS MOMENT: A curved Inscription Wall frames the memorial and is engraved with fourteen of Dr. King’s most notable quotes. Not one of these is from his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, mainly in an effort to highlight his lesser known, but equally inspirational, words. I wasn’t familiar with many of them, and it was nice to learn about them with Sopapilla.
GOOD TO KNOW: If you are in town on MLK Day, there is a wreathing ceremony at 12pm EST to honor Dr. King that is a moving experience to witness. The memorial was purposely set amidst DC’s famed cherry trees, which typically bloom around April 4th, the anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination – the blossoms here symbolize rebirth. Check out the memorial website to find out more. On another note, the memorial is stunning at night (see our Illuminated post!).
To MLK’s sculptor, Lei Yixin, this work is the most important of his life.
El Monumento a Martin Luther King, Jr. es el primero dedicado a una persona Afro-Americana en el National Mall. Es el más reciente que se ha construido en este gran espacio público Americano – es conmovedor recordar las grandes intenciones detrás del diseño y la grandes controversias que rodean una obra come esta.
El monumento está entre el de Lincoln y el de Jefferson – se dice que la ubicacion fue escogida para simbolizar una “línea de los líderes” entre los grandes estadounidenses que laboraron para asegurar las libertades de los ciudadanos. Está situado a lo largo de la esquina noroeste y rodeado por arboles de cerezo simbolizando paz y unidad. Cada año, los delicados cerezos florecen como precursores de la primavera, dando esperanza, renacimiento y renovación – los cerezos llegaran a su máximo cerca del 4 de abril, fecha del asesinato del Dr. King.
El Monumento al Dr. King, como muchos otros, nació en medio de controversia. Para empezar, está la controversia del “Hecho en China”. La escultura de 9.144 metros (30 pies), fue elaborada por el famoso escultor chino, Lei Yixin, junto con otros escultores chinos. Fabricado de granito chino, se rumora fue extraído de las canteras en condiciones dudosas. Además, a pesar de promesas de que trabajadores estadounidenses pertenecientes a sindicatos erigirian la escultura la tarea fue finalizada por trabajadores chinos. Al parecer los 150 bloques de granito que forman la escultura y los trabajadores viajaron desde China. Hay quienes reclaman que los trabajadores no fueron compensados justamente por su labor. También esta la controversia del “Drum Major” la cual concierne un error al transcribir la famosa frase del Dr. King gravada en la escultura misma. Esto ocaciono un escandalo tal que la noche antes de la primera presentacion publica de la estatua programada para el día de Martin Luther King, Jr en 2012, se anuncio que la frase seria corregida para reflejar correctamente lo dicho por el Dr. King.
CAPITALINAS MEJOR MOMENTO: Gravadas en las paredes que enmarcan la estatua se leen catorce de las más famosas frases del Dr. King –pero ninguna de estas proviene de su famoso discurso “I Have a Dream” (“Tengo un Sueño”). Se comenta que fueron selleccionadas primordialmente para enfatizar las frases menos conocidas, pero igualmente llenas de inspiración y sabiduria que el nos dejo. Muchas de ellas yo no sabia fueran de el Dr. King, otras no las conocia y fue grato leerlas y meditar acerca de ellas con Sopapilla.
ES BUENO SABER: Si visitas la ciudad el día de Martin Luther King, Jr., se dara una ceremonia a las 12pm EST en su honor y la experiencia es algo impresinante y conmovedor para el espectador. A proposito, el monumento se haya entre los famosos arboles de cereza de DC que casi siempre florecen en el aniversario de la muerte de Dr. King. El Monumento es impresionante por la noche y bajo la luz de la luna, es más dramático observar la imagen del Dr. King. También notarás que su mirada es mas impresionate (lee Illuminadas).
Por que no:)
It should not have been so dfiifcult to chose an African American artist to create the MLK Memorial. This choice should have been a no-brainer. The American artists and the NAACP are right to protest the decision to “outsource the production of the monument to Dr. King to the People’s Republic of China, the country with the worst record of human rights violations and civil rights abuses in the world.” MLK deserved something better than a memorial made in China. The US unemployment rate is 9.1 percent, and the African American unemployment rate is 16 percent. Our government should not be outsourcing any jobs. If our government could not find any way to appoint an African American artist to produce the MLK Memorial, is very dfiifcult to believe that there is a serious government effort to stop the outsourcing of US manufacturing jobs and create more jobs for Americans in the USA. The American people deserve something better than this.