Hank Willis Thomas,The Embrace. Courtesy of Embrace Boston and MASS Design Group.

The Embrace is anchored on Boston Common, where, in 1965, Dr. King called Boston to live by its highest ideals. The memorial sparks a new public conversation about how to advance racial and social justice in Boston today.

Dedicated January 13, 2023, the Embrace provides a living space for conversation, education, and reflection on the racial and economic justice ideals of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, and serves as a permanent monument to the Kings’ time in Boston, a period in which they met and fell in love, and which helped shape their approach to a just and equitable society.

By highlighting the act of embrace, this sculpture shifts the emphasis from a singular hero worship to collective action, imploring those curious enough to investigate closer. Located at a crossroads in the Common, the landscape around the memorial reinforces the need for collective action inspired by love. The northern space faces the Capitol Building, the Shaw Memorial, and the Black Freedom trail. The southern space embraces the Parkman Bandstand where King addressed the commons on April 23, 1965, with Dudley Square and the education center out of site, but directionally aligned.

Artist: Hank Willis Thomas

Negative Space: Artist Representation and Public Art Project Management

Landscape Design: MASS Design Group

Engagement: Embrace Boston

Learn more at Embrace Boston

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