Embrace Monument

The Embrace is a monument on Boston Common honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, who met in Boston in 1952. Designed by artist Hank Willis Thomas with MASS Design Group, the bronze sculpture is based on a photograph of the couple embracing and is abstract, showing their arms rather than their faces. Visitors are invited to stand in the heart of their hug and reflect on love, collective action and the role of women in the freedom movement.

The memorial took five years to realize and was chosen through a national design competition held by Embrace Boston. It sits on the 1965 Freedom Plaza, which gives voice to 65 other Boston civil rights leaders, on the Common where Dr. King called on the city in 1965 to live by its highest ideals. A self-guided digital experience app adds storytelling, first-hand accounts, historical photos and reflections from the artist.

What to Know

• The Embrace and the 1965 Freedom Plaza were unveiled in January 2023.
• Boston Common is the oldest public park in the United States.
• During construction, a fence wrap art commission showcased Boston-based BIPOC photographers and digital artists.
• The app introduces civil rights and social justice leaders active in Greater Boston from 1950 to 1975.