The best part of this story imo is that the professor made them submit their designs as an assignment and the professor gave her a B but also lost to her design.

her refusal to allow military symbolism and flags. kept the focus on the guys who fought and died.

The amount of racist backlash Maya Lin received from winning the competition was unreal. But she persevered.

My father and I took my Vietnam War veteran grandfather to Washington D.C. a few years ago for the first time for him to see the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. He got drafted in the late 1960s and he got injured by shrapnel from a land mine (in addition to getting shot), so he got sent home and received a Purple Heart. However, 6 of his buddies didn't make it back home, so before the trip he made a list of all of their names and where they were located on the wall. As he found each on the wall, he got very emotional knowing that he managed to come home (though injured), get married, have 3 sons, and live another 50 years, but 6 of his friends didn't.

I remember when she was first announced as the winner, and all these people were MAD that she was Asian. There were a lot of ugly comments directed at her. It had to have been a super stressful time.

And she was “just” a B student at Yale architecture school. More proof that grades just measure conformism.

Maya Lin is played here by Kimiko Glenn. For anyone wondering.

The militarists and jingoists eventually got their way- another monument was built nearby, with bronze statues of soldiers. Nobody pays any attention to it, while Maya Lin’s memorial is still one of the most visited places in Washington, especially by Vietnam veterans and their families. Lin’s creation has (rightly) been called the most successful memorial built in the last couple of generations. It’s artistically, historically, and popularly a great success.

Maya put a hell of a lot more thought into wall than her detractors thought, which is why it became such a special thing, which is why the vets leave personal items.

I knew of maya lin's ideal behind the design of the Vietnam memorial and how the black granite was reflective of the people standing in front of it. So when my husband died and I was choosing his grave marker I remembered the black granite and that's what I wanted. I had visions of future family members being able to stand there and see there own reflection. The granite came from a quarry in China only two places in the world that has it, it was shipped by rail then boat to Los Angeles then a truck to Michigan. Many hands worked to get it to the final place at my husbands grave. But I miscalculated a bit! It did reflect back but because it wasn't as tall as the granite in the Vietnam memorial it only reflected the person from the knee down! My kids and I howled with laughter! My husband would of just shook his head at my attempt to be artist and articulate as Maya Lin! So thank you Ms Lin for your inspiration and now a good family story!

Seeing our own reflection in the names is such a deeply profound statement that it always brings me to tears.

Therapist: How we doin today?

As a black woman who went university for architecture and now holds a degree in Environmental Design, Maya Lin has always been greatly inspirational to me. My mom showed me a documentary about her when I was in middle school and it really shaped the way I view what good design is. It's amazing what can be created when the designer has not just a vision, but empathy and an understanding of how humans relate to each other and the world around us.

As a Vietnamese, I must say I am really grateful for the people who spent time for this video. It is both hilarious and sarcastic.

Maya Lin's uncle is the father of Chinese modern architecture and is descended from high ranking Chinese nobilities.

The Ross Perot impression was top notch lol

The narrator is hilarious. I love happy drunks. Dying laughing.

wow. As an architecture graduate and her winning that competition the same age group as me? freaking goals 😍

This isn’t even the first time I’m watching this one and I’m STILL CRYING at that part where he sees himself in it!!! Goddamn this show.

that look Maya and Obama gives when she says they kissed on the lips was hilarious. this was a great story about a great monument