The Southfield Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Task Force, Inc. will sponsor the ‘Freedom Ride’ for high school students through historical civil rights sites in Washington D.C., Atlanta, Memphis, and Louisville.

The bus will depart on Monday, August 14 at 5:30 a.m. from Southfield Parks & Recreation, 26000 Evergreen Road, and will return on Sunday, August 20 in the evening. Twenty-seven students from schools throughout Oakland and Wayne counties and their chaperones will participate. The trip was made possible by generous donations from: AT&T, Oakland County Board of Commissioners, Avis Ford, Southfield Public Schools, State Representative Jeremy Moss, Southfield Mayor Kenson Siver, Michigan Education Association, Southfield Chamber of Commerce, Eaton Corporation, Oakland County Commissioner Nancy Quarles, Felix & Barbara Seldon, George Pitchford, Dr. Richard Traitel, Monique Merritt, Barbara Talley and Cynthia Merritt Simmons.

Southfield was the first city in the state of Michigan to hold a Dr. King peace walk or march. The first Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Walk took place on January 20, 1986, commemorating the first national observance of Dr. King’s birthday. The walk continues to grow in size and scope each year, with year-long educational and community outreach activities.

For more information, call the MLK Task Force hotline at 1-248-924-9MLK or visit www.mlktaskforcemi.org.