OPINION:
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray wants Washington residents to attend all manner of events preceding the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial. Unfortunately, his motive is political, and King’s memorial monument has little political or cultural value because the group erecting it failed to get contributions for it from the general public.
Most of the money for the huge memorial on the Mall came from major corporations trying to curry favor with black consumers. Few contributions came from blacks; even fewer came from wealthy or famous black Americans. Maybe King’s memory has faded over time.
So the enormous monument has no real national value - it was bought by corporations as a marketing tool for their products. What a shame.
LOUIS GINESI DOMINGUEZ
Warrenton, Va.
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