A historian, civil rights leaders and a Detroiter who marched in Washington as a child for jobs and freedom will come together Wednesday to share reflections on two defining events in the Civil Rights Movement.
BridgeDetroit has teamed up with American Black Journal for a virtual town hall commemorating the 60th anniversary of the historic Detroit Walk to Freedom and March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
The one-hour program comes on the heels of the Detroit NAACP’s June Jubilee, which featured a series of events including a weekend march downtown and the unveiling of a new Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. statue in Hart Plaza.
Detroit’s 1963 Walk to Freedom was the largest civil rights demonstration of its time and featured King, who delivered an early version of his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech at what was then known as Cobo Hall, now Huntington Place. Two months later, King delivered the famous speech at a larger march in Washington.
At noon Wednesday, American Black Journal Host Stephen Henderson will lead a series of in-depth discussions with guests including Detroit historian and reporter Ken Coleman, the Rev. Horace Sheffield III, executive director of the Detroit Association of Black Organizations, Detroit resident and activist Edith Lee-Payne, who participated in the 1963 marches in Detroit and Washington as a child, and the Rev. Kenneth Pierce II, first vice president of the Detroit branch of the NAACP. Also, BridgeDetroit Engagement Director Orlando P. Bailey will take part in a conversation on the next generation of leaders inspired by King.
The town hall will stream live on Facebook, YouTube and AmericanBlackJournal.org.