Local hero Carmen Flores among those immortalized in bronze ---
Remember Them: Champions for Humanity, a world-class monument featuring 25 humanitarians, was installed and unveiled in a public ceremony in Oakland on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2011. Humanitarians Maya Angelou and Ruby Bridges attended the ceremony along with family members of other heroes honored. The massive bronze sculpture honors people such as Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Chief Joseph, and Nelson Mandela.
Oakland native and master artist Mario Chiodo created the monument, which is a nonprofit project of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Among the world famous figures on the monument will be eight local heroes who tirelessly served the Oakland community and changed the lives of people from all over the world through courage and commitment to civil rights causes.
Among the local heroes being added to the monument are Carmen Flores (1932 - 1998), who lived a life of compassion focused on empowering others in the Fruitvale community. A tireless advocate for the poor and economically dispossessed, Carmen worked with both government and grassroots agencies to affect change on local and state levels.
"I am extremely proud to be part of recognizing local champions who have done extraordinary things for people here in our own community," said Chiodo. "It is critical that all people have examples of individuals who made a difference for the betterment of others, so that they in turn can see themselves within these people, and contribute further to society.
To be placed in the Henry J. Kaiser Memorial Park in the newly renovated Uptown neighborhood in downtown Oakland, the monument will be the largest bronze sculpture in the Western U.S. The four-piece sculpture will stand 52 feet wide by 25 feet tall, cover 1,000 square feet and use more than 40,000 lbs. of bronze.