Inescapably, the City of Detroit has trailblazed a deep and rich history nationwide as well as for the advancement of Black people in more ways than one – entering the 60th year anniversary of the Freedom Walk led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. we honor the city’s contribution to the civil rights movement.
Detroit is a magnificent spectacle of the process and progress of democracy which in turn led Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to recite his iconic ‘I Have a Dream’ speech here in June of 1963 just months before he delivered it on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.
Sixty years later – hundreds of Detroiters, Mayor Mike Duggan, city officials and trailblazers, in addition to the Detroit Branch of the NAACP unveiled a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Friday morning. The dedicated location for the statue is right in the heart of the city – in Hart Plaza. The statue was created by artist Stan Watts, who convinced the man who owned it to donate the piece to the City of Detroit to serve as a tribute to the first time Dr. King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, right here in Detroit.
“Today we are being inspired by the historic landmark placed permanently in the heart of the city,” said Detroit NAACP President Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony. “Where hope was lifted up 60 years ago by one who life serves continuously as a guide for freedom, justice, and liberty.”
It is often said a new dawn continues through the next generation – reason why the Detroit School of Arts choir performed Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing to open Friday’s event and later sophomore Zora Nunley of Cass Tech High School, was selected to recite the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech ahead of the unveiling.
“Young people being involved is highly important,” said Detroit Historian Jamon Jordan. “They’re engrained with this ethos that they must be a part of the solution rather than a part of the problem. That’s one of the ways that we can change some of the things that we think are unchangeable. They may not be changeable by us, but they will be changeable by the next generation.”
The statue will serve as a reminder of the values that Dr. King stood for and inspire all to continue his work – a symbol of hope, unity, peace, and a testament to the power of love and compassion.
Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony went on to site Langston Hughes ‘I’m Still Here’ poem honoring the Late Dr. King,
“I been scarred and battered.
My hopes the wind done scattered.
Snow has friz me,
Sun has baked me,
Looks like between ’em they done
Tried to make me
Stop laughin’, stop lovin’, stop livin’–
But I don’t care!
I’m still here!”
Rev. Anthony says, as the city welcomes this historic addition, “Dr. King is still here.”
The unveiling kicks off a weekend of events planned by Detroit NAACP, including the 60th Anniversary march down Woodward Saturday, June 24. Moreover, implementing a physical and tangible piece of history inside of a city that reigns supreme in progressing civil rights is a mere example of why it is a great day to be in Detroit and a greater day to be from Detroit.
Though many inner cities like Detroit have seen troubling times throughout the years – inevitably, we prevail.
An evident sentiment that many Detroiters carry as their faces were sheeted with expressions of hope as they patiently waited to see what was behind the cloth. Once city officials and trailblazers finally unveiled the copper sculpture, a peculiar expression appeared on all who were surrounding – the same look that the Dr. MLK Jr. statue carries – a look of hope and resilience that reminds us to always stand tall and celebrate the dream amid the nightmare.
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