Don’t just do something…sit there!
Don’t just sit there…do something!
- Martin Luther King, Jr., National Day of Service
- MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. Find out how you can get involved.
- MLK Day at The Wright
- 7:30am, Annual Prayer Breakfast (sold out)
- 9:00 – 5:00pm: special exhibitions all day including MLK Now is The Time, an immersive VR journey in that explores key themes of Dr. King’s speech and what they mean today
- Let Freedom Ring: MLK Birthday Celebration
- 5:00pm, Fox Theatre, Detroit
The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH “KING MLK Birthday Celebration” event will honor Big Sean, Judge Greg Mathis, Bishop J. Drew Sheard, Amy Nederlander And Maha Freij with special tributes to Harry Belafonte and Rev. Charles Adams. Admission gratis.
- 5:00pm, Fox Theatre, Detroit
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Task Force, Inc.
39th Annual Celebration
- 9:00am, Peace Walk, Hope United Methodist Church, 26275 Northwestern Hwy., Southfield
- 11:00am, MLK program, Southfield Pavillion, 26000 Evergreen Road, Southfield
“Taste Fest” to immediately follow MLK program
- Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. @ The Henry Ford
- 9:30am – 5:00pm, films, performance and song inspired by MLK and the Civil Rights Movement. Admission gratis today.
- Fueling Detroit: MLK Day of Service
- 9:00am – 2:00pm, Kemeny Recreation, 2260 S. Fort St., Detroit.
Here’s where and how you get involved in Wayne State’s Americorps MLK Day of Service.
- 9:00am – 2:00pm, Kemeny Recreation, 2260 S. Fort St., Detroit.
- EMU Driven By The Dream
- Events all week from today to Friday, January 19. See website for specific dates and events.
Yet man is not made to dwell in the valleys of sin and evil; man is made for for: that which is high and noble. When I see how we fight vicious wars and destroy human life on bloody battlefields, I find myself saying: “Man is not made for that.” When I see how we live our lives in selfishness and hate, again I say: “man is not made for that” When I see how we often throw away the precious lives that God has given us in rioteous living, again I find myself saying: “Man is not made for that. My friends, man is made for the stars, created for eternity, born for the everlasting. Man is a child of the almighty God, born for his everlasting fellowship. “What is man that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thou hands; thou hast put all things under his feet. All sheep and oxen, yea and the beasts of the field. The fowl of the air, and the fish of sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the sea.” This is man’s kingly perogative. Who this afternoon will rise out of the dark and dreary valleys of sin and evil, realizing that man’s proper home is in the high mountain of truth, beaty and goodness; yea even where God the eternal dwells forever.
– MLK, “What Is Man,” 1954
This just coming in –
From The Freep’s Martin Luther King High School students prepare poetry, dance for MLK Jr. Day legacy march
[As this was timely information, and the Legacy March and performances were this morning, the following article quotes have been chronologically adjusted. – RR]
I hope these two dynamic young women, Ms Iverson and Ms White, will forgive me as I’m taking the unauthorized liberty to reprint their poetry that they performed here; I thought the pieces were beautiful and powerful and hope you all agree…
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
Our new history
by Makyla Iverson, 18,
senior at Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School
Hello world
Is it my perfect curly slick back with all black that gets your bones all dis attached
Or is it just my appearance that makes you think that
I’m any different from any other human being who’s body is not dipped in this oh good melanin skin
Or is the way I walk and talk that makes you think of illiteracy
Welcome to a sneak peek of our new history
Where we fight the fight of unjust rights
To get what we truly deserve out of this tricky thing called life
Oh is that right?
Get down little Black girl you can’t win this fight
But why?
Can’t you see how much debt and struggle we have just for being Black
We stronger than plexiglass getting whipped on its own back
Some of our ancestors survived that
Something most can’t understand is our past
Take a walk with me to Compare & contrast
Deeper than the voices of Dr. King who fought in our past
Whispers from the souls of men who fought back through slavery so we can win
But is this what you call a win?
We’re still screaming and shouting for justice when that’s all we wanted from the beginning
How come Nobody is listening?
No we’re not tripping
Neither are we resisting
Still struggling with existence
We live in a world that we love to hate misfit
Can’t you get it?
Decades of unjustified violence in which we are against it
Just because the color of our skin may give you the urge of suppress it
Come on keep going your almost to the finish
The world may be listening so shout your name every single chance you get to flick it
So here’s a little message from the Black girl that stands before you
Put your hands up and say it with me:
“This is the next step of our new history”
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
What’s a Legacy?
by Mya White, 17,
senior at Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School
What’s a legacy?
Only time will tell when the push and pull gets the testing me,
but I long to hear long live my name I ain’t taking billboard I’m talking Hall of Fame,
legacy.
If a legacy
keeps the crown on a king’s cranium Martin Luther would be impressed with me,
that’s a blessing you see?
Individuality
17
I have a dream
life is just depressing me,
but King lived a nightmare and he fought to preach the dream for the young queen in me.
Dream to triumph any man’s command
call me the ace of spades
cause I can obliterate any kings negativity,
with my legacy.
Like a Royal Flush my legacy leads me to the melanin bloodline that crossed the seven seas so I could breathe black royalty…
but what’s my legacy
I might not be Beyoncé but I can build a domain where I can cause change whether it’s big or small somebody gonna remember my name.
If right here right now the very body and bones the keep grounded this earth was gone like that, I’d be proud of myself cuz Mya’s my name and I just put it on the map
legacy