Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Detroit
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
On June 23, 1963, before the historic March on Washington, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the Detroit Walk to Freedom where he gave his first run-through of his famous “I Have a Dream Speech.” Dr. King expressed his hope for a more just country, and for a more just Detroit. “I have a dream this afternoon that one day right here in Detroit,” Dr. King told the crowd of over 100 thousand Detroiters, “Negroes will be able to buy a house or rent a house anywhere that their money will carry them and they will be able to get a job.”
Dr. King encouraged Detroiters to push for justice, telling them that if they in the North wanted to help the cause of racial desegregation in the South, they should “work with determination to get rid of any segregation and discrimination in Detroit.” He made his stirring conclusion that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” With this speech, Dr. King connected struggles from across the country, and even across the world, to encourage the crowd to find solidarity with other causes and fight for them with urgency: “We want all of our rights, we want them here, and we want them now.”
Dr. King’s spirit of nonviolent resistance and radical reimagination of social structures is still alive and well in Detroit, including within the work of our nonprofit partners.
The Black Legacy Advancement Coalition, a nonprofit devoted to fighting antiblack racism, is joining the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Task Force in a Peace Walk celebrating Dr. King’s legacy. S.H.E (She Has Everything) is leading a field trip to the Henry Ford Museum on what also happens to be the last day to see the Nelson Mandela exhibit, allowing young people to see how racial justice work has been done in South Africa. The YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit is hosting a community conversation centered around A Call For Peace where community members can share their various perspectives on what that means to them for the issues they are passionate about..
These are just a couple events taking place today in Detroit that will help participants honor the past work of the racial justice movement and to think towards the future of how to continue that work.
Don’t limit the work of racial and economic justice to one day–stay connected with SHARE Detroit all year and don’t miss out on events and volunteer opportunities throughout the year so you can do your part to help strengthen our community!
About SHARE Detroit
SHARE Detroit is a community initiative with opportunities to do good across the tri-county area. A robust online platform makes giving easy by connecting generous people to the greatest needs in the community. SHAREDetroit.org offers local nonprofits a chance to be seen and heard, regardless of cause or size, and work together. Learn more at sharedetroit.org.