Southfield celebrates 41 years of honoring Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy

SOUTHFIELD – Southfield residents, organizations and city officials gathered together to honor the legacy and spread the message of Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 19.

The celebration began at Hope United Methodist Church, located at 26275 Northwestern Highway. There, dozens of community members conducted a 1-mile peace walk to the Southfield City Hall Pavilion, located at 26000 Evergreen Road, where a continuation of the program was held. 

President of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Task Force Faira Glenn said the event is to honor King’s legacy and his efforts toward nonviolence, peace and justice for all.

“These days it seems this is more needed than ever,” Glenn said. “The struggle has not ended. This walk is needed, especially with what is going on throughout the country these days.”

Glenn said the MLK Peace Walk and Celebration is meant to uplift the community.

The celebration’s program included speeches, performances by Dance Zone Center and the Hindu Temple Rhythm Dancers, an award ceremony and a Q&A panel with Selma foot soldiers Denise Jarnigan-Holt and Alice Moore. Additionally, vendors and community resources, such as Henry Ford Health and the Southfield City Clerk’s Office, were available to the event attendees.

Southfield was the first Michigan city to host a Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Walk, which took place on Jan. 20, 1986. This year’s theme was “Crafting the Dream in a Peaceful and Sustainable World Rooted in Dignity, Democracy, and Nonviolence.”

Joann Wright is a charter member of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Task Force. She said the task force and its mission are a part of her. She said it is instilled in her as someone who grew up in the South during King’s lifetime.

Wright said the Southfield community has faithfully participated in the MLK Peace Walk and Celebration, and the community has given anything to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Task Force without hesitation.

“No matter how bad the situation, people have always turned out,” she said.

Southfield Mayor Kenson Siver said the MLK Peace Walk and Celebration is a gathering to remember and honor its namesake, who fought against cruelty and injustice. He said people today still bear witness to these things.

“We are here today as one community standing against cruelty and injustice, and united in peace,” Siver said. “Let us remember why we are here and carry this in our hearts and in our actions.”

Jarnigan-Holt and Moore responded to a few written audience questions related to them being Selma foot soldiers and their fight for equal voting rights. Both women urged the youth at the event to not only fight for what they believe in, but to participate in their right to vote.

Moore said she, Jarnigan-Holt and many others were beaten, tear-gassed and thrown into jail for fighting for voting rights.

“We saw what was coming and went in anyway,” she said. “You do not have to do that. You just have to learn your facts, register and vote to make a change.”

Jarnigan-Holt said no one should think their single vote does not matter. She said every vote counts.

“It’s one step at a time, one vote at a time,” she said.

The Southfield City Clerk’s Office had a voter registration booth at the event for the first time. Election specialist Darian Bird said it was a way to get connected with the youth of Southfield. 

Additionally, with the Selma foot soldiers giving a panel discussing voting rights, Bird said it was the perfect time to connect with Southfield residents on the importance of getting registered to vote.

“A lot of people believe their vote doesn’t matter, and that is far from the truth,” he said.