That is a monumental sculpture honoring some of the world's great humanitarians. You step back in awe when you first see it.

It had to be a big sculpture because it carries a powerfully big message, Chiodo says, surveying his creation as if it were an adored child.

Chiodo, 44, was born and raised in a Lakeshore neighborhood so diverse it was a local United Nations, as he describes it: "Regardless of origins, it was a magical neighborhood, a blend of ethnicities, religious traditions and educational and social backgrounds."

The inception of the sculpture came in 1998 when he began to draw and sculpt ideas that could mean so many things to so many people. In his spare hours on evenings and weekends he worked and reworked his ideas.

At one point he entered the concept in the public art competition for Mandela Gateway. Selected as a finalist, he was bypassed because of insufficient funds allocated for the project.

Despite the setback, he refused to give up the dream, and turned to the private sector. This was a turning point for him, as almost every person he asked for help, gave him some funds. He also found there are grants available for projects such as his.

Chiodo kept hearing people say, "It's about time for artwork that can be understood, not the typical abstract stuff no one cares about."

He says, "It was music to my ears." He continued to raise private funds. At this point he has been successful, so no public funds will be necessary so far as he can tell.

The monument depicts 22 larger-than-life size people transformed into a 30-foot tableau that wouldn't fit in most living rooms.

Once you meet these revered folks, and learn so much you didn't know about their deeds, you begin to address them by their first names.

Right now, they are humanitarians in waiting, somewhat impatiently, to come out and meet the people of Oakland.

Chiodo selected them to represent people who are role models for the young people.

Some familiar ones include Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who died in his struggle for equality; Cesar Chavez, who stood for racial justice for Mexican farm workers; Helen Keller, blind from birth, who conquered her disabilities; and Susan B. Anthony, champion for women's rights.

Then there are the lesser known ones, such as Chief Joseph, eloquent spokesman against the injustices against Native Americans and voice of conscience for the West.

Also Primo Levi, noted Jewish author who survived the Holocaust of Auschwitz; and Shirin Ebadi, first Muslim to receive the Nobel Peace prize.

The ultimate place of residence of this monument is yet to be determined and could be open to community debate.

It is now being called "Remember Them."

Unlike many Oakland art projects that have stirred controversy, this monument is most likely to be loved to death rather than fought over.

Chiodo has kept it under wraps for several months, giving peeks to private sources funding the project, or with a civic interest.

"Everyone who has seen it loves it and wants to say where it should go," says Chiodo.

He has been careful not to let any one group — religious, political, ethnic or racial — dominate the work, which hopes to convey, "We're all different but we're all the same and interconnected."

A few Oakland City Council members have seen it. They love it and of course, want it to be located in their council districts.

Council President Ignacio De La Fuente saw it and wants it in Fruitvale, former Councilmember Dick Spees thinks Joaquin Miller Park would be the best place. Some donors have proposed the Port of Oakland.

Another central spot mentioned as a site is Lake Merritt's shores, possibly in front of the Kaiser Convention Center.

But an argument over where it should go is the last thing Chiodo wants for his monument that begs for a more humane world. And that includes the Oakland City Council, which will ultimately decide where it will be placed.

The most neutral place to put it where it could belong to all the people of Oakland and attract the most visitors would be the Ogawa Plaza lawn area in front of Oakland's restored City Hall.

City Hall is the people's house and the plaza is its front yard.

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