In Defense of “The Embrace”
By Emma Shearburn
A photograph of Hank Willis Thomas’s The Embrace in Boston Common park, Boston, Massachusetts. Taken Feb. 5, 2023. All images courtesy of the writer.
On Sunday, February 5th after a brunch at the Newbury Hotel, I decided to take a short trek to the Boston Commons to witness Hank Willis Thomas’s new work, The Embrace, for myself. The work shows a physical ‘embrace’ between Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King on the day he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
My first thought upon seeing the sweeping, shiny bronze sculpture was its impressive size, standing at 20 feet tall and 40 feet wide. Many people around and under the statue snapped selfies and photographs. In spite of the activity occurring in the park, the onlookers appeared both quiet and respectful. Everyone was somber, keeping their conversations hushed in respect for MLK’s legacy. As I inched closer, the work’s details came to life. The cufflinks and buttons of Martin Luther King’s jacket and the simple bracelet on Coretta Scott King’s wrist add to the humanness of the work. Despite its abstract display, the material elements of the piece rooted the work in reality. Their arms intertwine in a powerful, tight, hug while the fingers of both Dr. and Mrs. King gently grasped onto one another, juxtaposing and complementing each other.
Image of Dr. and Mrs. King’s grasped arms in Hank Willis Thomas’s The Embrace sculpture. Taken Feb. 5, 2023.
The work, which debuted three weeks prior to my visit, faced immediate backlash. Many claimed the figurative hug looked like a sexual act between King and his wife. Seneca Scott, a cousin of Coretta Scott King, voiced his thoughts on the debate surrounding Thomas’s piece. In an essay for Compact Magazine, Scott wrote about his opinion on the work: “Ten million dollars were wasted to create a masturbatory metal homage to my legendary family member.” While I understand how at a certain angle the arm may look phallic to some, I wholeheartedly disagree that it reflects the piece as a whole. Upon seeing the work myself, I found it entirely non-sexual. Out of thousands of works submitted, Thomas’s piece was vetted and ultimately chosen for a good reason. It is about strength, humility, togetherness, and equality for all and represents the legacy of Martin Luther King.
As I continued to circle the Common, there was a temporary memorial for Tyre Nichols that caught my attention. Nichols was a twenty nine year-old black man killed by six police officers on January 7, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. Two pictures showed Nichols smiling happily at the camera. Along with the images, there was a skateboard, candles, and many bouquets of flowers laying on the cement. It was powerful. Its placement tied the importance of Martin Luther King’s legacy directly to the present by showing onlookers that racial injustice still exists.
Photograph of Tyre Nichols’s memorial in Boston Common. Taken Feb. 5, 2023.
Hank Willis Thomas’s work evokes a reminder of how far we have come and how much further we must go in the fight for racial justice. The Embrace functions as a memorial for both Martin Luther King, as well as young Black men around the country. It serves as a reminder that for real change to occur we must all embrace each other and find beauty in one another, rather than focusing on our differences.
Sources:
Seneca Scott: A Masturbatory ‘Homage’ to My Family
https://compactmag.com/article/a-masturbatory-homage-to-my-family