Karen Attiah: Boston's grotesque sculpture 'represents how White America loves to butcher MLK'

As Twitchy reported, Boston unveiled a bronze sculpture called “The Embrace” that was intended to honor Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King. What people got was what looked like a couple of hands holding up an enormous penis.

I have some questions about the MLK sculpture in Boston pic.twitter.com/KVSKmdSw5S

— Marie Sheehan (@irshhnr4) January 14, 2023

Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah was not at all impressed with what she saw and injected some racial politics.

Public art and the decisions around it are political.

In a country that has VERY FEW public monuments and statues of Black people, the "Embrace" Martin Luther King statue in Boston sends a message.

A lot of the wrong ones. (1/n)

— Karen Attiah IS ON INSTAGRAM @karenattiah (@KarenAttiah) January 16, 2023

It doesn't sit well with me that Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King are reduced to body parts– just their arms. Not their faces- their expressions.

For such a large statue, dismembering MLK and Coretta Scott King is… a choice. A deliberate one. pic.twitter.com/Asi0SCHtPg

— Karen Attiah IS ON INSTAGRAM @karenattiah (@KarenAttiah) January 16, 2023

Boston's Embrace statue perfectly represents how White America loves to butcher MLK.

Cherry-picking quotes about love and non-violence.

While ignoring his radicalism, anti-capitalism, his fierce critiques of white moderates.

MLK- in his fullness– is still too much for them. pic.twitter.com/6yw8pyQgFb

— Karen Attiah IS ON INSTAGRAM @karenattiah (@KarenAttiah) January 16, 2023

And yes, I'll say it.

From another angle, the statue for real looks like one person is performing disembodied oral sex.

No matter how much I try, I can't unsee it. I don't think MLK would have wanted us to be thinking about cunnilingus on his birthday.

Thanks, Boston. pic.twitter.com/YA0VvVFVeK

— Karen Attiah IS ON INSTAGRAM @karenattiah (@KarenAttiah) January 16, 2023

There is nothing radical about the disembodied, de-racialized Embrace statue.

It is sending a whitewashed, multi-million dollar message — that MLK and Coretta overcame structural racism and systematic injustice with love– interpersonal, colorblind love.

— Karen Attiah IS ON INSTAGRAM @karenattiah (@KarenAttiah) January 16, 2023

Anyway, since the statue has been revealed, have we been talking about it, or MLK? No.

We've been talking all weekend about horribly racist/ anti-Black Boston has been– and continues to be.

Mission accomplished…?

— Karen Attiah IS ON INSTAGRAM @karenattiah (@KarenAttiah) January 16, 2023

This is what happens when white America tries to grossly distort what MLK really stood for… and ultimately.. what they murdered him for.

In making MLK a whitewashed symbol of love, the Embrace statue is both safe AND grotesque. Says little about the man, a lot about America.

— Karen Attiah IS ON INSTAGRAM @karenattiah (@KarenAttiah) January 16, 2023

And.

To have a dismembered statue of a Black man and woman, in a country that killed and destroyed so many Black people, will never sit right with me.

MLK Jr. was also murdered by white America.

It's giving -"We are so grateful for Black people's noble sacrifice" – energy🙃

— Karen Attiah IS ON INSTAGRAM @karenattiah (@KarenAttiah) January 16, 2023

Karen, this is the artist.
He is Black pic.twitter.com/4dlsvlKXtC

— StewMama✈ Cari- Radically Moderate (@StewMama71) January 17, 2023

This is the face of White America pic.twitter.com/7uvEbYWZ2s

— Jared 🌻 (@jbreezy1512) January 17, 2023

same artist who made thishttps://t.co/2WX3ddtPCW pic.twitter.com/I6a7rdqi7G

— StewMama✈ Cari- Radically Moderate (@StewMama71) January 17, 2023

Seriously? The same guy did the giant hair pick in New Orleans to commemorate Juneteenth? Man, he sucks.

The sculptor is black. Not that you'll allow common sense or reality to interfere with your foolishness.

— River Parrish (@RiverParrish1) January 17, 2023

what’s it called when you take a black man’s efforts and attribute it to white people

— Bela Lugosi's Dad (@T_francis_yeah) January 17, 2023

The artist is black. Please see yourself out

— Ian O'Donoghue (@enpsych_) January 17, 2023

The statue was designed by a black sculptor, Hank Willis Thomas.

You are a joke as a journalist. A bad one. Both joke and journalist.

— Pablo Lamprea (@ArtisticalLD) January 17, 2023

@washingtonpost do your writers not do research anymore?

— SoOverIt (@anypigslft2) January 17, 2023

"Black excellence" brought you this abomination. Enjoy.

— Heming Ernestway (@hemingernestway) January 17, 2023

She’s leaving the tweets up because she still believes them — no matter who created the thing, it perfectly represents how white America like to butcher the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

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