Hundreds honor Martin Luther King Jr. at 21st annual rally and march in Detroit

On Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. Day, hundreds gathered at a Detroit church just north of the New Center area for an annual rally and march honoring the late civil rights leader and his legacy.

Hundreds of people braved frigid temperatures to attend the afternoon gathering at St. Matthew’s & St. Joseph's Episcopal Church, where it has taken place the last five (two years virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic) of its 21 years.

They gathered in church pews with the overflow in separate rooms, listening to speeches from community leaders, activists and elected officials. Throughout the church were hanging placards of King's quotes. A large photo of King was on one side of the altar while a large photo of Rosa Parks graced the other side.

This year’s theme was “Jobs, Peace, and Justice, while protecting Water, Climate, and Communities.” It reflects an ongoing fight for labor rights and multiple wars across the world, including in the Middle East and the Ukraine.

Among the speakers was UAW President Shawn Fain, who led this past fall's historic strike against Detroit's automakers: Ford, General Motors and Stellantis. Many UAW members were also in attendence.

"This is what our fight is about,” Fain said ahead of his speech. “It's about helping people. It's about helping not just the working-class people, not just union people, but the working-class poor. And we're all in this together."

As Fain took to the podium, he told the crowd he was honored to be there on the day commemorating and celebrating the cause of King, who he called “one of the greatest Americans that ever lived.”

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Fain rallied the crowd and drew applause as he spoke of the “runaway wealth inequality,” saying it has to stop. He called the civil rights and labor movements “inextricably intertwined."

“As we gather today to commemorate Dr. King's life and mission and legacy, I'm always struck by how intertwined the Civil Rights Movement and the labor movement remain decades later," Fain said.

As a labor leader, Fain said, he saw King as a “direct inspiration and a guiding light of the 21st-century union movement.

Fain's most resounding cheers came when he announced that the "UAW was proud to call for a cease-fire in Gaza and Israel."

Fain also spoke of how King's voice and legacy looms large in the South.

“My mind is in the South these days a lot,” Fain said. "There are thousands of autoworkers, concentrated in states like South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky. And thousands of workers have launched their own movement for economic justice. In some ways, it's like nothing we've ever seen before. Tens of thousands of workers are taking action, signing union cards, launching public campaigns to win the economic justice we've just seen autoworkers win at the Big Three here in Detroit and beyond."

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, began her speech by saying Martin Luther King Jr. Day is every single day in Detroit.

"This day holds significance for our community as a profound reminder of the enduring legacy of a man who dedicated his last breath to the pursuit of justice, equality and human dignity," Tliab said.

Tliab, a Palestinian American who was censured by Congress for her criticism of Israel and demand for a cease-fire in Gaza, remembered King as a "leader of the antiwar movement, speaking out against militarism, as well as calling for a cease-fire in Vietnam when it was unpopular to all."

"As we strive today, and every single day in our district, in our communities of Dr. King's dream to reality, we always remember his tenacity and commitment to human dignity and justice for all."

According to the MLK Day Committee, those attending would typically march from the church about a mile along Woodward to a food co-op. But because of Monday's frigid weather, all the activities took place inside the church.

This year's featured speakers and artists reflected the “wealth of community organizers and cultural workers in southeastern Michigan,” according to the organizing committee.

The event is co-chaired by Aurora Harris, lecturer in African American Studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, according to a news release.

Other feature speakers included attorney Nancy Parker, executive director of the Detroit Justice Center, and Piper Carter, artist, community organizer and activist. There also was a performance by LaShelle's School of Dance.

In 2004, the Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice (MECAWI) held its first MLK Day Rally and March in downtown Detroit. Following that first year, the Detroit MLK Committee was formed.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Hundreds honor MLK at 21st annual rally, march in Detroit