On Monday, January 16, 2023, we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a leader of Civil Rights in America with roots in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. King earned his doctoral degree from Boston University in 1955 and met his wife Coretta Scott King in Boston in January 1952.
Just three years before he was assassinated, and a month after “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama, Dr. King returned to Boston to address a joint session of the Massachusetts Legislature on April 22, 1965. In his speech, Dr King encouraged the Body to be local and national leaders in addressing racial issues including de facto segregation of schools, voting rights and poverty.
The next day, Dr. King led a Freedom March from Roxbury to the Boston Common. As part of his speech, Dr. King declared, “Little did I imagine that such a day was possible when I walked through this same Boston Common as a student 10 years ago. This will go down as one of the greatest days that Boston has ever seen.”
To honor Dr. King’s contributions to the Civil Rights movement and to commemorate the 1965 Freedom March, a monument named The Embrace is being built on the Boston Common. The Embrace sculpture symbolizes the hug Dr. King shared with his wife after he won the Nobel Peace Prize, and will be positioned on the 1965 Freedom Rally Memorial Plaza that will give voice to 65 other Boston civil rights leaders.
UMass Trustee Imari Paris Jeffries serves as the Executive Director of King Boston, the organization responsible for creation of the Plaza. The Embrace will be unveiled at the Boston Common for the first time to the public on Friday, January 13, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. You can also watch live coverage starting at 11:00 a.m. on NBC10 Boston, ROKU, and Peacock along with a live stream on NBC10Boston.com.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is also designated by Congress as a national Day of Service. Each of us is encouraged to honor Dr. King and his vision by engaging in service activities on this day to empower our communities and bring meaningful change.