The King Boston memorial, The Embrace, will be anchored on Boston Common, where, in 1965, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called Boston to live by its highest ideals. The new memorial will spark a new public conversation about how to advance racial and social justice in Boston.
The Embrace broke ground in April and as the King Boston program gets ready to unveil the 20-ft Embrace Memorial in dedication to King and his wife Coretta Scott King on MLK Day 2023, they recently revealed The Embrace Memorial Fence Wrap Artwork exhibit.
The new exhibit features East Boston native Malakhai Pearson artwork. Pearson was one of six local artists to have their art featured in the exhibit.
Since 2018, Pearson has been documenting nightlife throughout Boston. His high praise of DJs throughout the nightlife scene in Boston inspired his piece. He hopes his piece will serve as a time capsule for the creative and cultural growth of Boston.
The fence artwork speaks to King Boston’s vision of an inclusive and equitable Boston, engaging the community in arts and culture to dramatically transform Boston into a city that centers racial equity and justice.
Once completed the Embrace will provide a living space for conversation, education and reflection on the racial and economic justice ideals of Dr. King and Mrs. King and serve as a permanent monument to the Kings’ time in Boston, a period in which they met and fell in love, and helped shape their approach to a just and equitable society.
King Boston is a program of the Boston Foundation working closely with the City of Boston to create a living memorial and programs honoring the legacy of King and his wife and their time and work together in Boston. The memorial is intended to inspire visitors to reflect on the values of racial and economic justice that both espoused. Through the memorial and related programming, King Boston envisions an inclusive and equitable Boston for all.