One of the unnerving things about Big Left’s initiatives is that they always seem to burst forth fully formed when they inflict themselves on an unsuspecting public. All the normal Americans are somehow left out of the entire decision-making process, from conception through funding and development; it’s not just that we don’t have a say, but we’re not even made aware that the initiative is in the works until it is visited upon us in its final form.
For example, by the time we learned that the climate lords at WEF think should eat bugs, there was already a growing cricket farm infrastructure in place, and cricket flour was already being added to some foods.
In the same vein, many of us in the Northeast were gobsmacked by the massive, disembodied arms that appeared on the Boston Common on Friday the 13th. Called “The Embrace,” the bronze sculpture was unveiled in time for Martin Luther King Day Weekend.
BREAKING: The bronze sculpture called “The Embrace” honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King has just been unveiled on the Boston Common #7news #MLKWeekend #MLKDay2023 pic.twitter.com/IckphP15FL
— Amaka Ubaka (@AmakaUbakaTV) January 13, 2023
Honored to join @EmbraceBOS @ArtsinBoston & the Boston Art Commission in the historic unveiling of the Embrace—a moving testament to the love, legacy & teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. & Coretta Scott King. pic.twitter.com/1Q4qkdtgEZ
— Mayor Michelle Wu 吳弭 (@MayorWu) January 13, 2023
At nearly 20 tons and 22 feet in height, “The Embrace” dominates the 1965 Freedom Plaza and is intended as a memorial to the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King. The project was reportedly five years in the making by a group called Embrace Boston, which trades in “racial and economic justice” activism.
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Embrace Boston’s website is poorly designed and nearly impossible to read, so don’t look there for coherent information or images of the sculpture or the people it honors. However, the website does note important things like this:
We acknowledge that Boston is situated on the traditional homelands of the Massachusett People. We also acknowledge their relatives and neighbors, the Nipmuc and Wampanoag Peoples.
We recognize the historical legacy of colonialism and racism by honoring and paying respect to the land. We do it to raise greater public consciousness of First Nation sovereignty and cultural rights as a small step toward equitable relationships and reconciliation.
It also raises questions of what it means to live in a new Boston. What did it take for us to get here? And how can we be accountable to our part in history?
and:
Working at the intersection of arts and culture, community, and research to dismantle structural racism. We see a radically inclusive and equitable Boston where everyone belongs and Black people prosper, grounded in joy, love, and well-being.
As is ever the case, everything Woke touches turns to excrement.
The sculpture is intended to commemorate the lives and work of the Kings in Boston, where they met, fell in love, and raised issues of equality that ultimately moved America forward. The inspiration for the work was a famous photo of the pair hugging at a press conference following the announcement that MLK had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The image is both historic and emotional, and is excellent source material for a public monument. The decision to reproduce only the couple’s arms is incomprehensible.
Brooklyn artist Hank Willis Thomas was tapped to create the sculpture. Thomas is apparently a go-to guy for progressive public art, and his commissioned pieces dot the country. “Thomas unveiled his permanent work ‘Unity’ in Brooklyn, NY. In 2017, ‘Love Over Rules’ permanent neon was unveiled in San Francisco, CA and ‘All Power to All People’ in Opa Locka, FL,” his website reveals.
The sad thing is that, when one looks at the humongous bronze arms and hands, one sees that Thomas rendered them with talent and skill. The potential for a stunning and impactful tribute to the Kings was there because all the ingredients were in place: funding, talent, resources, and location. Yet somehow, all we got was an elephantine set of rampant, unmoored arms.
Dismayed Boston Herald columnist Rasheed Walters commented:
Given that I am not White, I am safe from ANY charges of racism for saying the MLK embrace statue is aesthetically unpleasant. The famous photo should have been a FULL statue of the couple and their embrace. What a huge swing and miss in honoring the Dr & Mrs King. SAD! #bospoli pic.twitter.com/w8yqSjOfqs
— Rasheed N. Walters (@rasheednwalters) January 13, 2023
I couldn’t have said it better. Sad, indeed!
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