The selection of a Chinese sculptor — who has also crafted a statue of the Communist leader Mao Zedong — to create a likeness of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for a new memorial on the National Mall, in Washington, continues to rankle organizers and observers of that memorial effort, reports The New York Times.

Harry Johnson Sr., chief executive of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, defended the organization’s choice, saying no black sculptor reviewed by the selection panel had experience working with granite on as large a scale as required by the project. Two black artists are collaborating with the sculptor, Lei Yixin.

“Lei was chosen to work on this not because of his political beliefs, not because of his ideology, but because he could do the work,” Mr. Johnson tells the Times.

Mr. Yixin is not quoted in the article.

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