BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston is celebrating a very special Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year with the unveiling of “The Embrace” MLK monument on Boston Common and several events celebrating the new memorial and the life of the civil rights icon.
After careful planning, creativity and construction work, the 20-foot-high bronze sculpture honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King was unveiled on Boston Common on Friday during a ceremony that drew members of the King family.
The sculpture, created by artist Hank Willis Thomas, was inspired by a photo of Dr. King and Coretta Scott King embracing after the civil rights leader learned he had won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Two days after the unveiling, city leaders gathered for the Embrace Gala at the Omni to celebrate the new monument.
“It’s a dream come true,” said gala co-chair Myechia Jordan. “It’s exactly what this city needs.”
Embrace Boston Executive Director Imari Paris Jeffries agreed, saying, “To be able to unveil this memorial to Boston and our community, and to be able to have some of the members of the community celebrate with us tonight, feels like the culmination of this incredible moment.”
On Monday, the 53rd Annual MLK Memorial Breakfast was held in person at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. Panelists came together to discuss the importance of education in the pursuit of social justice.
Speakers included Gov. Maura Healey, who said she wants to perform an equity assessment of state agencies, and Mayor Michelle Wu, who got emotional as she talked about the divisiveness in the world today and the work still to come.
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley also gave a shoutout to former City Councilor and Boston civil rights icon Jean McGuire and Dean of the Columbia School of Journalism Dr. Jelani Cobb gave the keynote address.
Other events planned for Boston Monday include a rally at the UPS Customer Center in South Boston, which began at 7:30 a.m., and a march at Peters Park on Washington Street at 1 p.m.
There are also events at the Museum of Fine Arts and Isabella Stewart Gardner museum throughout the day.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)