Martin Luther King Jr.’s Son Defends Controversial New Monument That Drew National Attention

Topline Martin Luther King III, the son of civil rights leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, said Monday he is “satisfied” and “moved” by a new

monument dedicated to his parents in Boston, despite some complaints about the recently unveiled artwork. Key Facts Speaking to CNN, King said he was “moved by the

overwhelmingness, the large capacity of the sculpture,” and thought the artist, Hank Willis Thomas, “did a great job.” Called “The Embrace,” the abstract sculpture depicts

a hug the Kings shared in 1964 but only shows their arms and hands, and though the monument “didn’t have my mom or dad’s images… it represents something that brings people

together,” King said. King also enjoyed the work because it represents both his father and his mother, who remained a public figure for decades after her husband’s

assassination, as “many monuments are done just around dad,” he said. His sister Bernice tweeted Monday, “As you commemorate #MLKDay, please remember my mother, as

well…Without #CorettaScottKing, there would be no MLK Day.” Big Number 22 feet. That’s how tall “The Embrace” is. The bronze artwork was unveiled Friday and sits in the

historic Boston Common. Thomas was chosen to create the piece in 2019 out of 126 submissions. The Kings met while studying in Boston, and Martin Luther King Jr. held one of the

first civil rights marches in the region in 1965, which ended at the Common. Some 20,000 marchers participated that day.