Boston's newest piece of public art, which honors the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, was met with mixed reactions after its recent unveiling.
While some expressed confusion and distaste for The Embrace, others admired and celebrated the sculpture.
The Rev. Liz Walker, co-founder and co-chair of Embrace Boston, said public art is meant to bring about discussion and opportunity for conversation. She said she wasn't surprised that some people didn't like The Embrace.
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"Sometimes we speak out of our wounds. And we are wounded people, and so of course we're going to see what our wounds tell us to see, and that's what we have to heal," Walker said on Greater Boston with host Crystal Haynes.
Boston Globe columnist Jeneé Osterheldt called The Embrace "beautiful and radical," noting that very few public monuments celebrate love and tenderness.
"Liberation to me is our most important love language, so it's always going to be radical," Osterheldt said. She added that negative comments about The Embrace take away from the work Black and brown people did to make the monument possible.
Both guests said it will take time for the public to see and appreciate the art, and continue to have important discussions about it.
Watch: Co-founder of Embrace Boston on mixed reviews for King sculpture
