The Southfield Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Task Force, Inc. has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan to support the Youth Leadership Program.

The funds will be used to assist the Task Force to create educational programs and activities that will preserve and share the history of the civil rights movement while introducing, informing and illuminating the next generation of powerful lessons learned to make an impact on society. The MLK Youth Leadership Program will also focus on teaching youth the importance of non-violence, peaceful conflict resolution, critical thinking skills and other leadership qualities.

“There is a need to teach children to stand up to bias and to say or do something by acting as an ally or activist,” commented Youth Leadership Program Director Roger Goolsby. “The adults in children’s lives should use anti-bias education strategies and children’s literature promoting the concepts of respect, inclusiveness, equity and justice so they will grow into adults who can think critically and successfully live and work in our multicultural and global world.”

The city of Southfield will act as a fiduciary agent on behalf of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Task Force, Inc.

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Task Force is an all-volunteer grassroots civic organization, focused on communicating the importance of celebrating the national Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday with the local community. The Task Force was established in 1985, incorporated in 1992 and is comprised of residents, private and public organizations the local government representatives.

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan is a full-service philanthropic organization leading the way to positive change in our region. As a permanent community endowment built by gifts from thousands of individuals and organizations, the Foundation supports a wide variety of activities benefiting education, arts and culture, health, human services, community development, and civic affairs. Since its inception, the Foundation has distributed more than $1 billion through more than 65,000 grants to nonprofit organizations throughout Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Washtenaw, St. Clair, and Livingston counties. For more information, please visit www.cfsem.org. 

For more information, call MLK Youth Leadership Program Director Roger Goolsby at 1-248-635-9599, the MLK Task Force hotline at 1-248-924-9MLK or visit www.mlktaskforcemi.org.