Full Metal Wheelbarrow

Is it just me, or is there more than a touch of irony in a statue of Martin Luther King that's carved out of stone that's as white as snow?

Don't get me wrong - I think a memorial to Dr King is well-deserved and long overdue - but the word "whitewashing" was sloshing about in my brain as I watched Barack Obama give his speech. Perhaps I'm getting too cynical in my old age...