Martin Luther King Jr.'s new statue in Boston, which is worth a whopping $10 million, has been slammed as an insult to the American activist's family.
The 20-foot tall, 40-foot wide statue called The Embrace was unveiled on Boston Common, where MLK had a speech on April 23, 1965 to a crowd of over 20,000 people. The statue is said to depict a photograph of Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King embracing after he was informed that he had won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize.
The Embrace sculpture, a work of artist Hank Willis Thomas who was chosen to create the piece in 2019 out of 126 submissions, shows the couple's arms and hands.
Looks More Like Beefy Penis
Many people, including fans and followers of MLK Jr., are not too pleased with the sculpture because of its size. Seneca Scott, Coretta King's cousin, believes it's an insult to the family. He wrote that the artwork looks like a pair of hands hugging a beefy penis than a special moment shared by the iconic couple. "Ten million dollars were wasted to create a masturbatory mental homage to my legendary family members – one of the all-time greatest American families," Scott said. "How could anyone fail to see that this was a 'major dick move' that brings very few, if any tangible benefits to struggling Black families?"
The cousin slammed the statue as a result of the woke machine's callousness and vanity. He said it showed progressives were more interested in virtue signalling than helping Black Americans.
Scott said the woke algorithm is racist and classist. "So now Boston has a big bronze penis statue that's supposed to represent Black love at its purest and most devotional. This is no accident."
Several columnists have also criticized the statue. Michael Knowles tweeted that the statue was ugly because its grotesque. "And it's grotesque in precisely the way that so much of modernity is grotesque: it forgets that men are supposed to have heads and chests." Rashid N. Walters believes the famous photo should have been a FULL statue of the couple and their embrace. "What a huge swing and miss in honouring the Dr & Mrs King. SAD!"
Great Job by the Artist
But Martin Luther King III, the son of the civil rights leaders, is satisfied and moved by the monument, in Boston, that has been dedicated to his parents. He said Thomas did a great job. "It represents something that brings people together." The late American Baptist minister's son said he was very much touched as the statue represents both his father and mother. "Many monuments are done just around dad," he said.
Bernice, the daughter of the MLK Jr. and Coretta Scott King, is also pleased with the statue. "As you commemorate MLKDay, please remember my mother, as well...Without Coretta Scott King, there would be no MLK Day."