Hank Willis Thomas finally breaks his silence on the controversy surrounding the statue he designed honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King.
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While speaking with “CNN This Morning”, Thomas discussed the backlash he received after the Boston Common unveiled the statue over the weekend. As previously reported, the statue only displays the couple’s arms and legs, confusing some about its shape and even referencing a sexual act. However, the Brooklyn-based artist said he has no plans to change the statue and said the people of Boston were the ones who helped contribute to its design.
“This is a piece that was selected by the people of Boston. This is not Hank just came and put something. Thousands of people worked on this, thousands of people actually put it together and no one saw this, I would say, perverse perspective,”
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Coretta Scott King’s family was reportedly insulted by the statue and her cousin Seneca expressed that the stump at a certain angle resembles a penis.
“If you can look at it from all angles, and it’s probably two people hugging each other, it’s four hands. It’s not the missing heads that’s the atrocity that other people clamp onto that; it’s a stump that looked like a penis. That’s a joke,”
Martin Luther King III had a different opinion about the statue and said he was happy to see a piece of art representing the love between his parents. He explained to Don Lemon that he was satisfied with the piece and that it represented bringing people together.
“I think the artist did a great job. I’m satisfied. Yeah, it didn’t have my mom and dad’s images, but it represents something that brings people together. And in this time, day and age, when there’s so much division, we need symbols that talk about bringing us together,”
However, the statue is still receiving backlash since people are still not over its shape. Leslie Jones recently monologued on the Daily Show about the statue while guest hosting the show.
Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) is our first guest host and she’s got some thoughts on that new MLK Jr. statue… pic.twitter.com/lGrObspgQr
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) January 18, 2023
Beg to differ. Saw in person and really cool. From every angle it’s different. pic.twitter.com/9iVTpg6xAk
— Laura O’Neill (@ltrain53) January 14, 2023
Agree with you. This is a beautiful tribute….. although his monument in DC is moving and thought provoking.
— Alanna Shone (@AlannaShone) January 15, 2023