The civil rights memorial architect is Lin Mayalin. Lin Mayalin is a Chinese-American architect and urban designer who has designed many public spaces, including the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama. The memorial was commissioned by the Southern Poverty Law Center to commemorate the struggle for civil rights in the United States. Mayalin's design features a black granite wall inscribed with the names of those who lost their lives in the struggle for civil rights. The memorial also includes a reflecting pool and a sculpture of a single hand reaching up to the sky.