Embracing MLK
The Embrace Photo by Robin Lubbock; Stone of Hope Photo by Alicia Belton
The Embrace, designed by Hank Willis Thomas and MASS Design Group, was recently unveiled in Boston to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King. Inspired from the moment when Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the twenty foot bronze sculpture memorializes the hug that he and his wife shared. It is a wonderful gesture to mankind that we are meant to live in peace, love and community.
I recall as a youth how I memorized and recited Dr. King’s, “I Have a Dream” speech. To this day, the phrase that resonates with me is that we are not to be judged by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character. It is what I know to be true and have experienced that we have more that unites us than divides us.
As I reflect on what his legacy means to me, I know that his work of challenging and dismantling injustice have enabled me to have access to fair housing, education and careers like architecture. It wasn’t long ago where public space was segregated and separate entrances, theater seating and drinking fountains were part of the norm of my father’s upbringing in the south. I know that I can design equity in the built environment for example in providing accessible entrances and toilets for those with disabilities or prayer rooms and foot washing stations for religious practices or lactation rooms for working mothers. And beyond buildings, I know that I can act justly in speaking to unfair processes, biases and systemic issues still present in our world.
Last summer our family visited the Stone of Hope Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington D.C. For me, the imagery of Dr. King’s emerging from the granite was so inspiring - a simple metaphor of how one can move forward to transform societal norms that centers justice for all. So on this day, I am grateful for his example of servant leadership and continue to embrace my part in moving the arc of the moral universe forward in the places and communities that I serve.
