Martin Luther King Jr.’s Son Defends Controversial New Monument That Drew National Attention

Topline

Martin Luther King III, the son of civil rights leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, said Monday he is “satisfied” and “moved” by a new monument dedicated to his parents in Boston, despite some complaints about the recently unveiled artwork.

Key Facts

Speaking to CNN, King said he was “moved by the overwhelmingness, the large capacity of the sculpture,” and thought the artist, Hank Willis Thomas, “did a great job.”

Called “The Embrace,” the abstract sculpture depicts a hug the Kings shared in 1964 but only shows their arms and hands, and though the monument “didn’t have my mom or dad’s images… it represents something that brings people together,” King said.

King also enjoyed the work because it represents both his father and his mother, who remained a public figure for decades after her husband’s assassination, as “many monuments are done just around dad,” he said.

His sister Bernice tweeted Monday, “As you commemorate #MLKDay, please remember my mother, as well…Without #CorettaScottKing, there would be no MLK Day.”

Big Number

22 feet. That’s how tall “The Embrace” is. The bronze artwork was unveiled Friday and sits in the historic Boston Common. Thomas was chosen to create the piece in 2019 out of 126 submissions. The Kings met while studying in Boston, and Martin Luther King Jr. held one of the first civil rights marches in the region in 1965, which ended at the Common. Some 20,000 marchers participated that day.

Key Background

The statue has drawn polarizing reactions since its unveiling last week. Boston Globe columnist Adrian Walker wrote that the monument “is stunning, impressive up close in a way photographs struggle to capture,” because of its size. That could be why many on social media have complained about and mocked the design, saying it’s difficult to understand what viewers are looking at from certain angles, and what the limbs are doing. Boston Herald columnist Rasheed Walters called the statue “aesthetically unpleasant” and a “huge swing and miss in honoring the Dr & Mrs King.” Monday marked the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day after what would have been King’s 94th birthday.

Crucial Quote

“It’s subjective, everyone has their opinions,” Martin Luther King III told CNN, of the controversy. “But opinions are like butts. Everybody’s got one.”

Further Reading

Is Boston ready to ‘Embrace’ a different story? (The Boston Globe)

The history behind ‘The Embrace’: Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King’s Boston connection (The Boston Globe)

Martin Luther King Jr. statue in Boston draws online mockery, disdain (Washington Post)