The City of Southfield and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Task Force will host the Drive for Freedom, Justice and Equity Parade followed by a Virtual Commemorative Program on Monday, January 17 beginning at 9 a.m. at Hope United Methodist Church, 26275 Northwestern Highway. The 2022 theme will be “Knowledge, Wisdom and Understanding leads to Freedom, Justice and Equity.” Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the parade and virtual program will be held in lieu of the peace walk.

The lineup will begin at 9:30 a.m. followed by the drive at 10:00 a.m. Preregistered vehicles should enter from the Civic Center/MLK Drive entrance where they will be directed to line up for the parade. The parade will depart from Hope United at with a route through Southfield that ends at the Southfield Municipal Campus, 26000 Evergreen Road.  All participants must wear face masks and stay inside their vehicles at all times.

The Virtual Commemorative Program will follow at 1 p.m. cablecast by Southfield City Cable 15 (Comcast channel 15, AT&T channel 99 and Cable 15’s YouTube and Facebook Live) in addition to being aired live through the City's website at https://bit.ly/Cable15. The program will include the presentation of the 2022 MLK Community Service Award and the MLK Youth Service Awards.

The MLK Task Force will also host a MLK Day of Service food giveaway following the Parade to provide free food for the community due to the continued strain on financial resources for many families. The food distribution will take place at 11 a.m. in the Parks and Recreation circular drive located in the Southfield Municipal Campus at 26000 Evergreen Road. The food giveaway is sponsored in partnership with Gleaners, Beans & Cornbread, Fuddruckers, Market Fresh, Nikola's and Wing Hong on a first-come, first-served basis as it is available.

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 (248) 924-9MLK or visit www.mlktaskforcemi.org.