Martin Luther King III, his wife Arndrea Waters King and their daughter Yolanda King spoke at Friday’s unveiling of “The Embrace,” a memorial honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.
What does Boston's new monument celebrating the love of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King bring to mind for their descendants?
"Strength," said Martin Luther King III ahead of the unveiling of The Embrace statue.
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"Perseverance and the power of love," said his teenage daughter, Yolanda King, taking the words right out of her mother's mouth.
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The three members of the King family joined NBC10 Boston ahead of the official presentation of the 20-ton bronze statue on Boston Common Friday, a landmark event being attended by other dignitaries as well.
The statue was inspired by a photo of the Kings embracing in 1964, after it was announced that Martin Luther King Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize.
For King III, the statue had personal resonance: "I must say, thank God for this love story … I wouldn't be here!"
But he noted that, with the country "struggling with a lot of issues," the concept of a public embrace is important.
"This monument about bringing people together for social justice is just amazing," he said.
His wife, Arndrea Waters King, said it's important that The Embrace be in Boston, where her mother- and father-in-law met, and will hopefully inspire future generations to learn about their love story, "and people really finding themselves within that embrace and hopefully taking that love back into their lives and to their worlds."
The Kings' life in Boston was important for the family — it was their only time together entirely outside of the public eye, she pointed out.
During the unveiling ceremony, Yolanda stole the show. She said she loves the monument, in which she sees their "love and strength and unity," and discussed how she's studied her grandparents and feels their spirit with her — even wondering if a gust of wind that briefly interrupted remarks was their presence.
"I know that I am not alone," she said. "There is a sense in which we are all children and grandchildren of Martin and Coretta Scott King. We are all challenged to carry forth their unfinished work."
Her poise inspired event emcee Latoyia Edwards, who called Yolanda back on stage for a quick interview, where she gave the statue what the artist who designed it, Hank Willis Thomas, later said might end up being its de facto name, "Love 360."
"I was talking with my parents about how this is almost love 360, because this monument is dedicated to their love, and we really need more love in the world," she said.
The monument's plaza also includes the names of 65 other Boston leaders memorialized on the plaza. The 22-foot-tall sculpture's main message is love, MASS Design Group principal architect Jonathan Evans has said.
“What I love about it is you can actually feel their embrace, you can get inside this, it’s occupiable, so the idea that we can kind of feel that message, feel their love, I think is really inspiring," he said. "Our hope is that it becomes in some ways kind of a call to action, this idea that inspires us to take that message further and keep going.”
