A headless statue dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr and his wife Coretta Scott King was unveiled at the Boston Common public park in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Called The Embrace, the monument has been designed by Brooklyn-based conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas.
The 20-foot (6m) tall and 40-foot (12m) wide statue, is dedicated by a photograph of Dr King and Coretta Scott King’s hug after he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. What makes this monument rather unusual is that it only captured the couple’s arms during their embrace. It does not feature their heads. This $10 million statue is now being harshly mocked on social media. Some have remarked it as disrespectful, saying it resembled a sex act. Others did not have such a harsh reaction to it.
Seneca Scott, cousin of Coretta Scott King, in an essay for Compact Magazine, stated that the statue was “insulting” to his family. Scott wrote, “Ten million dollars were wasted to create a masturbatory metal homage to my legendary family members—one of the all-time greatest American families. Still, the Boston debacle could be a blessing in disguise, by exposing the insidiousness of astroturfed woke movements that have come to dominate black America.”
The couple’s son, Martin Luther King III, however, did not share the same view. Talking to CNN on Monday he mentioned being grateful for the statute. Particularly to be able to see a statue representing his parents’ love story and their partnership. For him, the artist had done a great job. He was satisfied. Though it did not have his parents’ images, it represented “something that brings people together.”
Boston Common is a monumental place in itself for Martin Luther King Jr. It is where the activist addressed a crowd of 22 thousand of people and gave a speech on April 23, 1965. The Instagram page dedicated to the monument shared a snap after the unveiling. In the post it was mentioned, “Today we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr on his birthday and reflect on his words. This weekend the city of Boston took one step closer to his vision, and we will continue to press on.”
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Embrace Boston is a non-profit racial and economic justice group that is behind the creation of the monument. Their aim is to connect, educate, and energize within their communities and across traditional borders. They are working to cultivate the conditions that are crucial for racial and economic justice in Boston.
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