The Embrace

The Embrace. . , The Embrace | 2022, Hank Willis Thomas and MASS Design Group, Commissioned by Embrace Boston, the Boston Foundation, and the City of Boston , Sculpture: Patinated bronze , Plaza: Granite with bronze inlay, From the collection of the City of Boston , To explore more of the collection, please visit boston.gov/publicart, Founders: Rev. Jeffrey L. Brown, Paul English, Demond and Dr. Kia Martin, and Rev. Liz Walker, The story began in Boston. , The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King met in Boston in 1952. The Embrace is a memorial to their love and leadership. Inspired by a photograph of the Kings embracing, it reflects the power of collective action, the role of women in the freedom movement, and the forging of solidarity out of mutual empathy and vulnerability., Beneath the artwork, the 1965 Freedom Plaza honors civil rights and social justice leaders active in Greater Boston from 1950-1975. Many of them marched alongside Dr. King in 1965 when he led a crowd of 22,000 from Roxbury to the Parkman Bandstand, just steps from the memorial. In his speech, Dr. King called on Boston to confront racism and economic injustice., The Embrace and the 1965 Freedom Plaza are reminders of the Kings' high ideals born from struggle, to foster a "beloved community."