(WXYZ) — The Detroit Branch of the NAACP unveiled plans for its June Jubilee weekend next month, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Detroit Walk to Freedom with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.
The weekend will begin on Thursday, June 22 and include the 60th Commemorative Freedom Walk on Saturday, June 24 and end with the 68th annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner on Sunday, June 25.
Starting Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., there will be freedom summits held on the northwest campus of Wayne County Community College District, talking about voter mobilization, registration and protection, the civil rights movement and labor and much more.
Then, on Friday, June 23, there will be a special unveiling of a commemorative statue of Dr. King placed in Hart Plaza permanently, working with the City of Detroit.
"It is a memento of the first occasion when Dr. King gave his first 'I Have A Dream' speech right in the City of Detroit," NAACP Detroit President Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony said.
On Saturday, the march will start at 10 a.m. at Woodward Ave. and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., and will head south down Woodward Ave. to Hart Plaza, with a major rally following the march. WXYZ plans to have live coverage from the march on Saturday, June 24.
"Everyone throughout the state and region is invited to join us. This is a national event, not a local event," Anthony said during the press conference.
On Sunday, Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock will be the keynote speaker at the Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner at Huntington Place at 5 p.m. More special guests are expected to be announced for the weekend.
"We are indeed excited and tremendously inspired by the June Jubilee Celebration,” Anthony said. “Detroit takes no back seat to anyone on the issues of Freedom and Justice. This historic gathering of Civil Rights Leaders, Activists, Business, Faith, Labor, Corporate and our political leadership will demonstrate how together we can unite for a more perfect union.“
"Dr. King's March down Woodward in June of 1963 was a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement," Duggan added. "It was at the end of that march when Dr. King delivered the first version of his I Have a Dream speech, that he later delivered on the National Mall. I am so pleased that Rev. Anthony and the Detroit Branch NAACP are organizing this series of events to commemorate that historic time in our city and encourage all Detroiters to participate in this year's March Down Woodward."
"Everyone around the state and region is invited to join us. This is a national event, not a local event," Anthony said during the press conference.
