The Black Informant | African American Commentary, News and Community Building

Very good Duane.

I blogged about his topic about a month ago. Maybe 2 months. It is also being discussed on shows such as Joe Madison here in DC and was actually the topic this morning.

I don’t own MLK and as long as the sculpture is nice, I’m fine with whoever does it.

Lynn

HickTownPress

We are enjoying you Black Informant, but again you have misrepresent the facts.

We are not “at odds” with the King Foundation for not choosing Gilbert to sculpt the monument. Gilbert is a painter, not a sculptor.

There are four issues here that we are addressing with a multi-cultural King Is Ours team. They are these:

1) In no foreign country will you find a monument to a leader or national figure with the name of an African American artist in its base. We want this one.

2) The artist chosen to sculpt Dr. King is known for glorifying the murderer Mao Tse Tung. We will not allow him to sculpt King.

3) The granite from the People’s Republic of China is to be quarried using under aged workers in substandard conditions. They are not given proper equipment to protect their lungs from the killing silica dust. We will not see slave labor used for the King monument.

4) No US granite companies were allowed to bid on the project.

Following are answers to your questions in order:

1) The King Is Ours site was launched March 2007. The petition was launched a month ago. The granite unions, led by John Castaldo, executive director of the Barre Granite Association, and Matthew Peake, a top union organizer, joined King Is Ours recently (are those the names you’re looking for?). You’ll find their signatures on the petition at #1154 and #1172. These two men were brought to King Is Ours by Clint Button, a stone carver whose family has worked in stone in this country for 116 years. John, Matthew, and Clint joined Gilbert for the Congressional Black Caucus weekend. After numerous interviews and presentations, they met with Legislative Aides to the Senator Peter Welch from Vermont. FYI: Bernie Sanders, and Patrick Leahy have also been informed of this situation and are now involved. No need for a us to make a major announcement. Time Magazine is doing a special report.

2) Yes, we are privy to information you have not heard. Does this surprise you? Executives from the Granite Unions of America (you said you needed a name) have performed an audit of all the granite companies and unions. One of the nation’s largest quarries, Rock Of Ages, actually gave the King Foundation a tour, their subsequent calls were not returned. CNN and Lou Dobbs reported on two US companies that offered stone at cost. Their calls were not returned. It’s funny that you wrote, “I would like to see from you is a list of EVERY U.S. company who was not permitted beyond the initial application process.” What on earth would a blogger do with such a list, and why would I go through the trouble to pulling such a thing together for you?! That was funny. But I digress. My point is there was no process. No initial process, no process of elimination, no nothing. That’s why the granite unions have signed on to our protest.

3) You’ve got your question #3 backward. You wrote “Do you have any evidence that the deal to acquire Chinese granite came with the selection of Yixin?” That is wrong.

The deal to acquire YIXIN came with the selection of the Chinese granite. That’s why in every interview you will read “Yixin was selected by his peers.” The Foundation chose the stone and the stone company chose Yixin. The stone will be pink by-the-way. Did you know that? I remember back in the day when Archie Bunker was on TV. He liked calling people “commie pinkos.” You think there’s some kind of Davinci code-ish message behind Dr. King being carved from pink granite by a Communist artist? Hmmm….

4) When the Bill was passed for the monument, it contained wording that said “no federal funds will be used for the project.” Look it up. Years later, after fundraising deadlines had passed and the money had not reached a goal, $10 million in federal funds was allocated to the King Foundation. According to our granite union reps, any project receiving federal funds must be open for bids. You may call that “shady.” The Unions are calling it illegal.

5) Signatures on our petition are most welcome! We have all races and creeds signing on. People from Greece, Italy, Argentina, China, Canada, Great Britain, Australia…and everywhere else agree with us. These are not black people in those countries. Look at the names. All agree that this is not about race, this is about right. The King Is Ours site was set up as a grassroots effort to protest a wrong we saw being perpetrated against a man who was murdered for fairness and justice. If you see racism in the term King Is Ours, that’s on you. Those who know what’s really going down know it’s not about race, that’s why Clint, Matthew and John have joined our front line (they are White by the way). Ann Lau and Dr. Harry Wu are Chinese American and also on our team. All are proud to say King Is Ours.

6) You wrote: “you would not be reduced to scanning the Internet and commenting on every article written on this subject.” Young brother, knowledge is power. It is my responsibility as an elder to gather the information that is “out there,” correct inaccuracies and attempt to pass on that knowledge to slightly disrespectful young people such as you. I’m organizing this protest with my husband. Spreading the word via cyberspace is quite effective, and as we saw this past weekend, a legal battle won’t be necessary. There have already been five presidents of the King Foundation in seven years. I don’t think ANYONE wants to be left holding the bag on this one. After Gilbert and Clint were interviewed by activist and radio talk show host Joe Madison Friday morning, they were invited to participate in a panel discussion with Caucus members. Once Gilbert was introduced, the topic was changed to address King Is Ours. Of course, Gilbert was given the opportunity because he’s famous…most widely known for his painting “He Ain’t Heavy” which shows a brother reaching over a wall for another man’s hand.” Gilbert also unveiled a new bust of Dr. King done by an artist who will be known as “African American.” The image will be posted on King Is Ours petition page–this in answer to Yixin’s quote that no one in American can capture King’s likeness.

There you go, questions answered. Oh, and I happen to like scanning the Internet and commenting on every article written on this subject. This is VERY IMPORTANT, and it offers an opportunity to make sure folk like you get it right. And see…it works! You’ve just learned something, and as Martha Stewart says, that’s a good thing.

p.s. I did not call you a name. Clown is a description of a person who puts on a face for the public. I don’t know you or your purpose, so I’ll consider you inexperienced, and I certainly don’t need to try to present ANYTHING to hold up to your scrutiny. I know the harm ignorance can do. I’m just trying to stop it in its tracks, and if that means I’m “reduced to scanning the Internet and commenting on every article written on this subject”, so be it. Things are getting quite busy and I won’t be able to do it much longer. But it’s entertaining while it lasts, especially with a glass of

2) Yes, we are privy to information you have not heard. Does this surprise you?

No it does not. It also does not surprise me that you are blanketing this issue in race rather than the illegal aspects you mention.

Their calls were not returned. It’s funny that you wrote, “I would like to see from you is a list of EVERY U.S. company who was not permitted beyond the initial application process.” What on earth would a blogger do with such a list, and why would I go through the trouble to pulling such a thing together for you?!

How on earth would the wife of a painter gain access to such a list if she was not part of the process is the bigger question here.

“All agree that this is not about race, this is about right.”

“Those who know what’s really going down know it’s not about race,”

Correction (by your own words:

“1) In no foreign country will you find a monument to a leader or national figure with the name of an African American artist in its base. We want this one.“

Young brother, knowledge is power. It is my responsibility as an elder to gather the information that is “out there,” correct inaccuracies and attempt to pass on that knowledge to slightly disrespectful young people such as you.

No, that is the responsibility of a good lawyer who usually tells his/her clients to keep silent while he/she deals with the PR.

As far as being disrespectful goes, you started this conversation by calling me a clown (you can re-define that however you wish), then you have continued to talk down on me throughout your comment. I have responded by making your comment into a top post so that it did not get buried, giving you the benefit of the doubt, and asked you questions without insulting your character. And let’s not forget about my apology. So please, tell me again about “disrespect”?

Again, if federal funds were used in the way you described and the committee went against their ‘no-compete’ rule and you have the evidence to support your claim, why try to sell this case to the Black community as a race issue? The intelligence of Black folks does not require the ingredient of race to understand the issue.

Since you are content on using cyberspace to set the record straight, why not put all of your evidence out there and make it into a legal matter? These are my main questions (or why not just go for the jugular–the illegal use of federal funds?) Get yourself a good blog or keep your site updated daily so that it will serve as a central information clearing house if your goal here is to gain support. Put all your evidence out there and I will be more than happy to support your cause.

In the meantime, I look forward reading the “Time special report”.

Here are some other tidbits worth mentioning here as well

From the Washington Post (8/07)

“Dwight, 73, said in an interview that the model Lei submitted to the foundation “didn’t look like Martin Luther King. He had a whole bunch of wrinkles and great big bulky clothes. It wasn’t right.”

Harry E. Johnson Sr., president of the foundation, denies ever having conversations with Chinese officials or companies to ask for money. He said scouts for the foundation spotted Lei’s work at a sculpting workshop in St. Paul, Minn., and approached him. The sole criterion for choosing him, Johnson said, was artistic ability — Lei’s skill at capturing personalities in sculptures, his expertise in hewing granite and his extensive experience with large public monuments.”

[...]

Johnson emphasizes that Lei was selected by a design team that included mostly African Americans, and that the artist is collaborating closely with Jon Onye Lockard, a painter and a University of Michigan lecturer, and Louisville-based sculptor Ed Hamilton, both of whom are African American.

Lockard says that Dwight had been vying for the position of head sculptor and that he’s simply “a sore loser.” (source)

Article #2

From the New York Times (9/24/07)

That deep-rooted understanding of Dr. King as a black man is what concerns Ed Dwight, a black sculptor based in Denver. Mr. Dwight was on the selection panel that chose Mr. Lei in the summer of 2006, but he has since changed his opinion. “He doesn’t know how black people walk, how they stand, how their shoulders slope,” Mr. Dwight said in a telephone interview.

He said the current contretemps was as much a product of infighting and inexperience as artistic judgment. Mr. Dwight said that he was hired by the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation as an artistic consultant in 2004, when it was struggling with the architects, ROMA Design Group, over control of the project and how to depict Dr. King emerging from a rock, “the Stone of Hope.”

Mr. Dwight said he was asked to transform an image of Dr. King and the Stone — made from a photograph and sketch — into small award statues for large donors. After seeing that maquette, the foundation, he said, wanted to use it for the memorial. Mr. Dwight maintains that Mr. Lei was only supposed to execute that design.

Once Mr. Lei visited his Denver studio, however, Mr. Dwight said he began to have misgivings that the Chinese artist could accurately capture Dr. King’s likeness. He criticized Mr. Lei’s model, saying Dr. King’s “head is too far back, his clothes aren’t right, his eyes are too deep-set, his mouth is sunk in.”

[...]

He added that two African-American artists, Jon Lockard and Ed Hamilton, are collaborating with Mr. Lei to ensure the accuracy of King’s image. Construction is supposed to begin this year and be completed in 2009. (source)

If Dwight felt that the illegal mishandlings of this project was worth the firestorm you and others are trying to create, why did he not mention it when he and others on the committee chose Lei in the first place?

#

FYI: Thought you might like updated info on latest in the MLK monument repatriation effort. Also see that the NAACP at the State Conference in CA, has passed a Resolution in support of King Is Ours. Soon the lie about the “international search” for Yixin will also come to light. Thanks for your efforts. GY

Barre Granite Workers Protest Memorial

Barre, Vermont – November 8, 2007

Vermont granite workers are protesting the construction of a national memorial honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. Construction has already begun on the four acre memorial site in Washington, D.C. It’s located near the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial. A 30 foot tall sculpture of Dr. King will be the centerpiece of the property, but it won’t be sculpted by American carvers. Civil rights activists say it contradicts everything that Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for.

Gilbert Young, a civil rights activist and founder of the group “King is Ours,” says, “As Americans, if we go through with this, we will be the laughing stock of the world.”

The A 30 foot sculpture honoring Martin Luther King will be constructed in China, by a Chinese sculptor, using granite from China and America.

“You can’t use slave labor to honor a man who stood against slavery and Jim Crowism and everything he stood for, and if you’re going to use that it’s almost laughable,” says Young.

Barre sculptor George Kurjanowicz agrees. The Martin Luther King Foundation visited his Barre studio last year, and expressed interest in having him do the work.

“They left, and I tried to get in touch with them again and the telephone number didn’t work. The email addresses didn’t work, and I didn’t get in touch with them and they didn’t get it touch with me. It’s like they disappeared off the face of the earth,” says Kurjanowicz.

Kurjanowicz says no one in the United States was ever asked to bid on the project, though $10 million in federal funds was allocated for the work.

Barre Granite Manufacturers are furious. They say the stone is being quarried and carved by Chinese laborers who are being paid less than two dollars a day.

“To me it doesn’t matter what the country is. If you’re going to do a sculpture about a man who fought for freedom and dignity in the United States it should be done here,” said John Castaldo, Executive Director of the Barre Granite Association.

A spokesperson from the memorial foundation tells us the Chinese sculptor is working with two African American consultants on the sculpture, and the project is being overseen by several American Firms. That spokesperson also says that the Chinese artist was chosen after an international search for a sculptor with proven experience to carve large scale projects.

Keagan Harsha – WCAX News

Again, why did Dwight vote for Lei in the first place if he and others in your group had such strong feelings against China supposedly from day one?

My name is Clint Button, US granite industry sculptor and liaison for Gilbert Young and King Is Ours. I just found this blog and have a few comments:

When I personally spoke with Ed Dwight in July 07 before speaking with Gilbert Young of King Is Ours, Mr. Dwight said, “I’m sorry- I never would have suggested getting this done in China if had any idea it could have been done here.” We (granite industry sculptors) are an invisible resource, utilized primarily by manufacturers. But we are very easily found by anyone who has more than a passing interest in utilizing our expertise.

However, not even the stonecarver kneeling behind keynote speaker Congressman John Lewis in 2003 to hand carve lettering upon the Lincoln Memorial in commemoration of Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech was ignored. We know this because that carver and his partner’s granite company sponsored the King Is Ours visit to Washington, DC and the Sept 07 Congressional Black Caucus.

This is consistent with Congressman Lewis apparently forgetting to mention that Elberton, GA- the largest granite manufacturing center in the USA- is less than two hours from his home office and Dr. King’s home in Atlanta.

I joined King Is Ours specifically because of my expertise and the blatant disregard by the King Memorial Foundation of the US Granite Industry related to this project. My family has cut stone in Barre, VT continuously since 1891 (116 yrs). I am from that area, apprenticed in Barre under Family and some of the top Masters in the world. In the south, my uncle served as Master Sculptor for Elberton for 35 years until I took his place down here in late 2003.

My significant involvement in the industry includes work with the Elberton Granite Association (approx 100 member firms, Georgia (706) 283-2551), Barre Granite Association (approx 35 member firms, Vermont (802) 476-4131) Granite Cutter’s Association (Barre, VT Union- I am a former member) United Steelworkers Union (also Barre) and contact with smaller granite manufacturing centers such as Cold Spring Group (Jim Himmish, Cold Spring MN) and Dakota Group ( Chuck Monson, South Dakota). Including these entities and smaller regional Monument Builders Associations (whose members generally cannot handle any significant manufacturing projects), through significant research, we was not able to find a single company, entity, artisan or reference to such that was allowed to submit a bid on this project.

The only sculptor (15 minute visit, including driving to and introduction to manufacturing company) and manufacturing company (10-15 minutes total on property) that were contacted prior to Lei Yixin were never allowed to even see drawings, specifications and/or requirements- other than a pair of dimensional requirements for initial stock and requested water absorption specifications. NO bid was ever allowed, produced, forwarded, or rejected from any of these parties. If you can prove me wrong on this point with substantial content, please do.

For our Nov 8 VT Press Conference, Gilbert Young, John Wong and myself stood in front of a 24′ tall granite statue, surrounded by the living Master Sculptor and Master Carvers (including my cousin whom formally apprenticed me) who actually sculpted and carved the statue. To our right and left were the balance of the US Master Sculptors remaining in the USA. Only one (Mike Celley) could not make it. King Is Ours has produced exposure to viable and proven domestic granite resources in 8 months that the King Memorial Foundation could not produce in 8 years.

I speak confidently from my perspective of expertise. Authorities will tell you that ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law. There are principles and probably laws here being broken while tens of millions of dollars are being squandered. Ed Dwight said he didn’t know we existed. But flying from DC to Boston to rent a car and drive 2+ hrs each way for a 30 minute visit (without Ed Dwight) to the Granite Center of the World (that likely included driving past that very same 25′ tall statue) is a token visit. Due diligence did not occur.

Ed Dwight has clarified his position that after spending a few weeks with Lei (after initial contact, supposedly in June 2006) he began to have doubts about compatibility. Following a critique by Dwight of Lei’s revisions to Dwight’s model apparently Dwight was shown the door. It should be noted that aside from local coverage by the Minnesota Rocks! representatives, no effort seems to have been made to disseminate the fact Lei was formally contracted in early August 2006. In comparison, after he had been given several months to learn who King actually was, he was noticeably widely touted in Feb 07 after he and the Foundation had a another big head start on the critics. If they had been proud and confident of their correct decision(s), why did they hide it for so long? It would seem they would benefit from good PR for a change. Hiding what you’ve done until it’s hopefully too late to change it is a sad way to claim you made the right choice, especially in such a significant memorial to “doing the right thing.”.

Viewed from within the industry, the King Memorial Foundation was under a significant time constraint, after dragging their heels for so many years. For reference, the recently unveiled WWII Memorial saw initial drawings provided to granite industry experts in 1998 with granite manufacturing not beginning until 2003. The King Memorial Foundation cannot or will not produce any substantive record of contact with viable granite manufacturing resources until 2006. That’s the year when their original 10 yrs project eligibility bill expired and they had to secure a three year extension, which will expire in 2009.

To address the claims from the mlkmemorial.org website that on Sunday June 24, 2007 members of the foundation “surveyed various quarries” in the Stone Mountain (GA) area- Stone Mountain GA sites produced highly variegated (lots of streaks and lines- inappropriate for memorial/monumental use, primarily used for industrial applications like curbing.) However, by agreement, all quarrying and manufacturing operations ceased in the Stone Mountain area in the 1970′s with all operations reverting to the Elberton Area manufacturers. There are also no quarries in the USA that operate on Sundays. If so, no one in our industry knows about them. Either way. there was no one there to talk to about stone on this scale. Any claim of GA stone being used must reference a token scrap of waste stone that was picked up beside the road on that visit. It wasn’t purchased or donated by any of the companies I have been able reach for comment or that have contacted me/us.

By his own expression to me, Ed Dwight originally agreed to Lei by default. At least he is willing to admit his mistake. If no public money or land were being used, this would be a much different matter. Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action changed the way the game must be played many years ago. It isn’t a matter of convenience- it is the law.

Speaking of law, it is still unclear how federal money became involved in the project. The original law authorizing the memorial, as signed by Pres Bill Clinton on Nov 12, 1996, stated that “no federal monies are to be used in the establishment of this memorial” as well as denoting Alpha Phi Alpha as solely responsible for funding the project. However, Sen Byrd of WV authored the amendment to a Parks Appropriation Bill providing $10 Million to supplement the $42 Million already claimed to be raised by the King Memorial Foundation. Passage of this amendment was announced on June 28, 2005, with money allocated for FY 2006- per Sen Diane Feinstein’s website.

If we didn’t care, we wouldn’t try to make a difference. As the American way of life, including our industrial base which determines our autonomy on the world stage, is being eroded by such poor decisions as those made by the King Memorial Foundation. Those of us willing to fight can envision a day when such memorials will be produced “by them” out of necessity, not choice. That means if “they” do not approve, we will not have them. Then color or heritage or national identity really won’t matter. We will all be equal under such oppression. This brings us back to the reason why he fought and died in the first place.

King Is Ours.

Clint Button

I ask my unanswered question again for the ump-teenth time:

“Since you and your group feel so strongly about both having a Black man oversee the project and the human rights issues in China, why were these concerns NOT at the forefront when Dwight voted for him in the first place?“

You cannot cloak a “mistake” by making into a racial/human rights issue.

And apathy or sloth cannot be cloaked by redundant position of the same query. Ask Ed Dwight. I told you what he told me. eddwight.com. The position of one who seeks truth is to do more than simply ask questions and wait for answers to arrive from others….

Ed Dwight told me he had “no idea it could be done” in America. By inference, that means that whatever reservations he had (and he said he had them) were likely trumped by the concern of the project being done at all. Without an American resource, it had to be done elsewhere. He sure didn’t defend his decision to me. His apology was immediate to a complete stranger. Regardless, this wasn’t his decision. He was an aspiring hired hand, so he if he wanted to be involved he had to put up. He did voice concerns, but he only had an opinion- not a leading vote.

Our complaint about the leadership is consistent with this outsourcing issue. They have been misguided, underhanded, corrupt, etc from the beginning. If not, we would have no platform. They went to Barre and ignored that resource. When offered a chance to walk physically through the door of the most truly legendary manufacturing facility and see firsthand the material, product and craftsmanship at their disposal, they simply looked through that door, said “That’s OK” and left the property, barely 10-15 minutes after they arrived. Given the 4 hr round trip drive to/from Boston plus the DC- Boston-DC plane flight, respectable stewards of such a project would have at least had the manners/respect towards their patrons to be receptive to such an offer. Lawbreakers act without regard to the law. Trying to rationalize their actions by the parameters of the law will always prove futile. Irresponsible people often act the same way.

Barre has only a few granite quarries, all owned by one company. The Elberton region, in King’s home state of GA, has at least 45 or 50 active quarries. They never even got such a token visit, even though Congressman Lewis “knew” about defunct quarries in Stone Mountain. If he can get elected to Congress for ? many terms and serve as a significant component of the Atlanta-based African American powerbase that can chase down all types of seemingly small information to benefit a specific pursuit, how can he (and they) explain that he went to a shut-down quarry on a Sunday afternoon after the fact and represent such as a viable effort? They aren’t willing to tell us or the American public.

In the same manner, by their actions they represent there is not a single American- Black, White or any other color- competent to produce a clay model of Dr. King. In this business, we carvers often reproduce images/designs made by artists who cannot carve stone. Clay is almost infinitely forgiving and can be fixed, if needed, for years until it is right. Stone affords one chance. As expert stone artisans, we provide an obedient service for pay. If we get to make the design or model, we also serve as sculptor, not just carver. Given a population of 300 million people, to represent that a single artist – Black, White or any other color- could not be found (especially with a given resource of $100 Million, including $10 Million derived directly from those 300 Million and a now 13-year schedule) to do this model is another miscarriage of integrity. They made us all equal in that context.

While Harry Johnson has been Pres of the Foundation for several years (after four previous office holders in the early years), Dr. Ed Jackson has been there since Day 1. We have been told by formerly involved parties, in regards to his management style, that it is “My way or the Highway.” It’s harder to find people to say nice words about Dr. Jackson than otherwise. People had reservation but apparently went along, seeing it as their only chance to participate. Mob rules applied and if you disagreed with those in charge (Dr. Jackson), you were done.

Companies such as ROMA and Devereaux & Purnell couldn’t get paid for their work. When they reached the point of litigation against the King Memorial Foundation, they were paid in full for their services and reportedly placed under a gag order as a term of settlement. Paul Devereaux suggested King Is Ours “do what you need to do” to get more info because he could no longer talk to us due to the settlement. I personally got the same information from a contact who was also involved with the ROMA Group at the same time as an outside consultant. He said he couldn’t talk because of the “terms of the settlement ROMA had with the Foundation.” When federal monies are involved in a project, all funds are considered tainted and thus federal. When federal monies are involved, there can be no gag order enforced. Harry Johnson’s law practice is based in Houston, TX. If he’s a lawyer and party to directing people by intimidation or deliberate misinformation with the intent of fraud, that’ll be a tough bed to sleep in when all is finally revealed.

All through life and even school, we are told to trust our first instinct. We have yet to find anyone who said, “Wow- what a great idea!” about any part of this catastrophe. We want this monument to be done in a way that honors Dr. King and our collective past.

To have more people join us, like yourself, with the motivation to question those responsible and hold them accountable- that is how this monument will happen in a way that honors Dr. King. Get over the racial crutch. Race is not the same as Racial. Color does matter or Dr. King would have been just another American, probably sitting in his den with grandchildren right now. This will always be about Black and White and Red, White & Blue.

If what we said had no relevance, it would have never garnered a response from you or the rest of America. But something rings true and strong enough to find out more. Do that for us or just for yourself. Make a difference. Speak up now in a way that really matters before it is too late. Unless partnered with action, questioning why others did not speak out earlier (to save yourself work now in the present) is often simply a diversion for why one is not doing more now. Together, what else can we help America understand?

Join us. King Is Ours.

Clint Button

Ashish stone export is an organization in the field of Manufacturers & suppliers in different Granite products such as Black Granite, Black Galaxy, Red Granite, and Green Marble in India.