The National Lao-Hmong Memorial honors the service and sacrifices of the “Lao-Hmong" people (Hmong, Lao, lu-Mien, Khmu, Lue and Thai Dam), during and following the U.S Secret War in Laos.
Dwight has sculpted great works of celebratory African American art, including international monuments from the Underground Railroad in Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario to a Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial in Denver City Park.
Other works of art he has sculpted include: the bust of George Washington Williams in the Ohio State Capitol in Columbus, Ohio, the Black Patriots Memorial on the mall in Washington, D.C., the South Carolina Black History Memorial in Columbia, South Carolina, and the Alex Haley-Kunta Kinte Memorial in Annapolis, Maryland.
The Quincy Jones Sculpture Park in Chicago brings his total major works to 35, some of which are on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institute.
Description of the National Lao-Hmong Memorial
The memorial will be constructed in Westminster, Colorado. Westminster is home to a large population of Laotian Hmong people. We are grateful to the city for their support and encouragement.
The memorial will feature panels that tell the story of the Secret War and acknowledge our appreciation for the donors who make this national memorial possible. Included in the description of the Secret War will be recognition of those who gave their lives, Lao-Hmong (~90,000) and Americans (727), as a result of the Secret War. The memorial will explain the purpose of the Secret War and how it unfolded, was fought, and concluded. The striking centerpiece of the memorial will be what is now a fully operational T-28 fighter bomber painted to match the appearance of the planes used by Lao-Hmong pilots trained and commissioned in the Royal Laotian Air Force. The T-28 has been purchased by the Foundation and is being utilized to raise awareness of this project and to support fundraising efforts.