Image: Screenshot @pantskate/Twitter
On Friday, a new sculpture was unveiled in Boston honoring the legacy of civil rights hero Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King in the lead up to Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday.
The result, from a variety of angles, is bizarre.
Aiming to both inspire visitors and honor the Kings’ legacy, Thomas’ work will be revealed Friday at Boston Common, America’s oldest city park, in downtown Boston. The bronze structure, which is 20 feet long and 26 feet wide and titled “The Embrace,” depicts the arms, shoulders and hands of the Kings hugging after Martin received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, the moment immortalized in a famous photo.
Those scheduled to attend the ceremony include the Kings’ son, Martin Luther King III — also a civil rights activist — and his 14-year-old daughter, Yolanda Renee King, who gave a speech on racial equality at the Lincoln Memorial in 2020.
Five years in the making, the monument represents the love, heart and spirit of the couple, Thomas said, while also highlighting the power of an iconic moment.
“In that picture, you can see the weight of him on her shoulders as they embrace,” he said. “And I realized that this was really a metaphor for his legacy — that she carried his legacy on her shoulders for several decades after he was assassinated.”
Image: Screenshot @cbert102/Twitter
Image: Screenshot @mobinfiltrator/Twitter
Social media users were not impressed with the sculpture.
There is a social media controversy about the new bronze sculpture in the #Boston Common honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. Called Boston’s “statue of liberty,” many are saying it resembles something else. pic.twitter.com/DW0hQTatZt
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) January 14, 2023
“It’s twue! It’s twue!”–Lili Von Shtüpp pic.twitter.com/QFRhscpf8A
— brotherdarul (@brotherdarul) January 14, 2023
This is the kind of statue a society would make if it hated Martin Luther King https://t.co/iVnnJ3FJ0B
— Payton Alexander (@AlexanderPayton) January 14, 2023
