Just in time for MLK day, which is Monday, January 16, a 22 by 40-foot-tall monument will be unveiled to commemorate the iconic Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and several other civil rights leaders. The monument itself is a depiction of an image captured in 1964 of Dr. King “embracing” his wife, Coretta after he won a Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent work against racial injustice. The monument traveled over 3,000 miles from Washington state where it was designed by conceptual artist, Hank Willis Thomas and MASS Design Group.
Martin Luther King Jr. was no stranger to Boston, having pursued his doctoral studies in Systematic Theology in 1951 at Boston University’s School of Theology after graduating from Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania. While a student at Boston University, Coretta Scott King was simultaneously pursuing her own degree at the New England Conservatory of Music, making Boston an especially sentimental place for the couple who met while they were students.
When to catch the ‘Embrace’ monument reveal
The monument will be unveiled in the Boston Common on Friday, January 13 at 1 PM at a Boston Common celebration. It will be a historic moment in itself, and the monument will make history as the largest in the country dedicated to racial justice.
While you won’t be able to experience the monument up close and personal (due to temporary construction fencing), the entire Common will hold a block party during the ceremony to celebrate Dr. King Jr. and Coretta in addition to 65 other civil rights pioneers. Large screens set up on the Common will air the entire unveiling in addition to appearances by the late Dr. King Jr.’s family members and more.
You can also watch the ceremony at home on ROKU, Peacock, or your local new channel. In February, you can stop by the Boston Common anytime and experience the monument up close. Boston is honored to celebrate such an iconic figure!
Find the “Embrace” monument at 139 Tremont St