PAGE 12Statue of uniteris dividiBy JERRY ALLEGOOD ANDJOANNA KAKISSIS, StaffWriters News & ObserverROCKY MOUNT - The memo-rial to Martin Luther King Jr.draws the wees in he ac oserok, inviting a stroll up a gentlehill toa black stone fountain anda curved path of inscribed stoneswinding around to a bronzestatue of the Civil Rights leaderat the hilltop. . .The gaze goes to the statue of aman standing, his arms foldedacross his chest, his head turnedslightly to the left. He holds apen in his right hand and looksas if he is in deep in thought.His face is familiar to millions.Or is it??77927? No,say dozens of Rocky Mountresidents who complain that the_ larger- than-life-size sculptureby Illinois artist Erik Blomenot resemble King. "itdoesn't look like him," saidBetty Fentress of Rocky Mountafter taking a close look oneafternoon last week. "it would be :nice if it resembled him a littlemore."Critics vant someone to docosmetic sculpting-surgery onthe face.Some want to scrap the statueentirely. Others want to send itback to Blome.The strong negative reaction tothe public art prompted the citycouncil to postpone plans for a:dedication ceremony for thepark. And the debate has swirledinto a coniroversy that hasstunned Blome, a well-knownsculptor educated at BostonUniversity and at the RoyalCollege of Arts in London.Blome's boon solid: He nasuced praised sculptures o:mous Americans, includinghistoric black figures such asRosa Parks, George WashingtonCarver, Thurgood Marshall andDuke Ellington .In 1998, he also sculpted a9.5-foot bronze statue of Kingfor Milwaukee. That statueshows King with his right handoutstretched, his face brimmingwith the emotion he showedduring his famous :The sculpture [in Rocky Mount]looks like him, if you look at itwith an observant, objectiveeye," Blome said. "This is oneson's personal expression ofDr. Marft 1 Luther King Jr. Itdoesn't matter who 1, and where1, am from ang what class |come from. None of that mattersbecause Martin Luther Kingmeans something to everyone.Just because it doesn't look likethe vision in someone's headdoesn't mean it is not a trueexpression."A special connectionThe statue is the centerpiece of a28.5-acre park on the north sideof town that includes a play-gone, picnic papemches, Planning for a tohonor King began in the earlyRocky Mount claims a specialconnection to T King because hegave an early version of his "IHave a Dream" speech at a localhigh school in November 1962,months before a Washington oration made the words famous,The city's human relations de-partment has a recording of thespeech that is played on specialOccasions.- Although the Rocky Mountmemorial makes no reference toKing's appearan ' w ve in the city, itProminently displays excerptsfrom the speech in which King- @loquently characterized _ hisn for racial harmony.Three stones are inscribed witha prophetic e from King'sin Memphis, Tenn., ona 3, 1968, the last one of hisife. o7" T've looked over, and I've seenthe promised land. I may not getthere with you, but I want you toknow tonight that we asa peoplewill get to the promised land.And I'm happy tonight. I'm notworried about anything. I'm notfearing any man."He was killed by an assassin thenext day.Clayborne Carson, director ofthe Martin Luther King PapersProject: at Stanford University,said the Rocky Mount gatheringwas one of the earliest presenta-tions of the "Dream"which King T repeated in severalPlaces before Washington. It issignificant, he said, because theis considered one of theeatest of the century,ing Ts image is also among themost recognizable, said Carson,and that makes an artists taskdifficuft. He recalled similarconcerns about a likeness ofKing when a statue was unveiledin pashington. "There was kindof a gasp because people didn'tlike it," Carson said.Open discussionRocky Mount Mayor FredTurnage, who has served for 30years, says he is perplexed by theuproar over the statue becausehe sees the park as a maioraccomplishment in race iztions for this city of 58,000. -The city already paid the artist$55,800 for the work, which wasinstalled last month. So themayor has appointed a commit-tee to sort out. the issue ."I frankly don't know what wecan do," Turnage said. "I'm notan artist. Can you go back anddo part of it? I don! know."No one objected to the statueinitially, city officials said. Andome said he received onlyPositive comments about thework-in-progress: the city aproved his drawings of theStatue, and several Rocky Mountresidents praiseda small modeof the statue that Blome pre-sented at a community event."It was always open for com-ment, all along, T Blome said. oThe people who are so vocalnow and Say it should be takenhad every opportunity totake part in the process, and theydid not. It's a cheap shot. ?Statue supporters say the figureould be considered as anartists conception, not a photo-ic Appbarairtey and thatit properly honors King's spirit.But it won't do for hee forwhom King Ts image is as clearas his orations.Rocky Mount resident Henry V.Davis said the whole memorial,including the statue, shouldClearly invoke King's image.Davis said he didn't like the posebecause it looks like the personwas arrogant. .Lillie Solide , a spokeswomanfor a community group called |Voices for Effective Change,said it's important that the statuelook like King so that childrenwho visit the park will knowhow he looked. "Nobody canidentify that statue, ? she said. oin order to honor him, it shouldlook like him." .-Fentress, who was relaxing atthe park Wednesday afternoon,said she thought the statue wasnice enough, "they just need toredo his face.""His face is round and flat," shesaid, referring to the image onthe hill. "Dr. King's face is kindof an oval shape."AUGUST 2003sounded off in letters and callsto the editor of The RockyMount Telegram, the localnewspaper. A few, which themayor describes as extremists,have complained that they don'tfeel there. should be a statue atall. -Turnage said he hoped theoutcome will eventually bringtogether in the spirit othe man who preached harmony."My goal is that we don't takesomething that has been someaningful," he said, "and turnit into something divisive."Critics T and defenders haveanienamimemees o . Little Willie Center Wen Too" THE PRESENT/ . * vg / 807 West Martin Luther King Jr. Drive We Ne cd Hel ) Yoo! CRISIS} PO Box 20191 Tete de a Sarcomlosts Suttercr ar it vou wee a tiesatih protesssomsh sn: ,Ve, jf Greenville, NC 27836 - " Wold ke tote tinvolsed in the PevelOpmense of ci eda og |SN ot (252) 752-9083 SKE FOTOS SE CPORT OROUP, ta eree i wy. Biba tye Tp oy caloe Sous munailta-info., Vet # and CNA ess me tether cc:Why Tutoring and Mentoring?The Little Willie Center's pri focus is on helping each childstrive for excellence in ae our philosophy is that a s child whoAtidreyv Tyson.4%. Bos 30442receives good education has endless ities. However, a child Greonvitte, NC. 27333-Vaa2 ~ owho pecan read or communicate effectively is handicapped until the meensituation is corrected. TheVoccaswcatveas Poy was of Medical F xpertise, Barts NN Deke tN 4 No Adis aiseb derstanding of Row oe "ives with the COMI Cam. fare Nie veLittle Willie Center stands in the gap and provide parents with ahelping hand by mentoring through homework and teaching good who tiie it, ¢ dten by: Lou Rubiasen;functional skills, ene ee "Is the Little Willie Center A Day Care Center?The Little Willie Center is not a day care center or a baby-sittingservice. While the Center does provide supervision and guidance, itis not equipped to operate a day care center at this time. We are ayouth agency that provides human services.Does That Meant that Kids Never Have Fun? . .No. Playing is as important way in which children learn to followrules, pl fir , Negotiate and cooperate; therefore, the Little WillieCenter offers recreational activities as well. The children have theopportunity to play games, work on arts and crafts and go onWhere and What are the Center's Hours?The Little Willie Center is open Monday-Friday from 2:30pm -6:30prn. Emergency services beyond those hours are avoable on acase-by case basis. During the summer, we offer a Home AloneSummer Camp that runs from Monday-Friday, hours 10:00arn-2pm, With off site trips.Are My Kids Eligible?The major requirement for membership in the Little WillieCenter is that a child be a "Latchkey" (home alone). That meansthat the parents work, attend school or are seeking employment,therefore, leaving a child with no adult supervision in the home.There is no income limitation at this time. .What is the Cost for this Service?There is no monetary cost for these services. Rather, it ismandatory that parents volunteer a minimum of two hours perweek with worldng in the Center. They must attend Basic Skillsmeekly adult education class (unless they work) and they mustattend a monthly parent meeting.Since 1949crdet laid nae eee: ae Te . = . on - e" ay oahCall Steve Johnson If You Would Like To Reat A1, 2, or 3 Bedroom Housing UnitReal Estate ...207 Dickinson Ave. Greenville, NC (2S2)757.3191___Acsepted |James RussellLowell.\ we 6 rl 6 ,aa T, Ey i v 5 . 9 dll y os Pastas ead ao DURING OUR MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGNereowe.te Ne» &wet5Membership is the life-blood of the NAACP. We depend on our membe;s T generosity to insurethe NAACP Ts independence. We depend on you to keep the flames of freedom burning bright!MEMBERil_| Mr(please print clearly)_J Ms_J Mts. _JMiss _J Other _a Date-_ Last NameFirst Name | M1Address Apt./SuiteCity | State ZipPhone No. Email AddressAre You A Registered Voter? _)Yes _}NoSolicitor's NameCampaignDo you wish to affiliate with your local NAACP Unit? lYes _JNo Unit name or number (if known)*ad| MEMBERSHIP TYPE ())/005¢ choc:New Member _JRenewal Membership if renewal, member ID# T REGULAR ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP _ "a! # j aeA oN oe,: i "a T i 7at Aj ey aAJ = . aee. . oA; af { i:CAROLINA EAST MALLGREENVILLE,NC*Full and Half Solesae .)') || Gift MembershipaHeel Replacement* ** Fully fo M ps inc scription " | |_| Dlannond Lite (Payable in instalments 0f $260 or more)...Rockport Re-soling * Shoe Care Products "6.00 pe lake oe ce a. 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