Byron Joyner, MD, MPA
There are many symbols in our country that reflect the struggle of Black people in America.
For this month of Black History celebration, I choose to focus on The Embrace, the new controversial sculpture in the Boston Commons, unveiled just last month. It reminds me of the ultimate commandment – which is to love one other.
Of all the Civil Rights statues standing, it is one of few that commemorates both Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King. The 20-foot, 19-ton bronze sculpture was designed by Hank Willis Thomas, an African American artist who works primarily with themes related to identity, history and popular culture. The work was chosen from more than 200 entries in a competition by the Boston public. From the moment of its unveiling, The Embrace has been criticized in the press and social media and panned widely by critics for its stylistic ambiguity and suggestive imagery.
I have not seen the sculpture yet, but I’m compelled to write about it because of its intended meaning. The Embrace is a great symbol of an iconic man, Martin Luther King, Jr., sharing a tender moment with his wife after he won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize.
Until that moment, the Nobel Peace Prize had only been awarded to two Black men: Ralph Johnson Bunche, a political scientist, diplomat and leading actor in the mid-20th Century decolonization process and the US Civil Rights Movement; and Albert John Luthuli, a Black South African and anti-Apartheid activist. At just 35-years old, Martin Luther King, Jr. was the youngest American ever to win the coveted prize for combatting racial injustice through non-violent resistance. Four years later, he was dead.
The Embrace represents the strong arms of MLK and is supposed to be the embodiment of a beloved community. We may not be there yet, but I have hope. Is it possible for us to think of what is good instead of demeaning the tremendous work of art and the artist? Especially now, at a moment that is so critical to our post-COVID-19 recovery, which has, in many ways, led to our isolation and desocialization, we need to think of King’s legacy as the reification of kindness.
King is arguably the most influential figure of the Civil Rights movement. This statue is a bold aide-mémoire that models for us what we should all be doing – and that is creating human touch and building up humanity, not tearing it down. There have been critical memes and statements debasing the statue, taking a swipe at our sacred and dignified man who shares a tender moment with his wife, an embrace displayed to the worldwide community at a time when we can all use a hug.
Take a moment out of your busy lives to embrace a friend, a family member, or a colleague during the month of February. We need less judgment and more love in our lives. In a world where we are taught, you can be anything, be kind.
Embrace The Embrace.