The city of Southfield and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Task Force will host the 39^th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Peace Walk Celebration on Monday, January 15 beginning at 9 a.m. at Hope United Methodist Church, 26275 Northwestern Highway. This year’s theme will be “Peace and Justice for the Next Generation.”

The peace walk will depart from Hope United Methodist Church at 9:00 a.m., followed by an 11 a.m. program at the Southfield Pavilion, located at 26000 Evergreen Road. The Keynote speaker of the event will be Ms. Kamilia K. Landrum, Executive Director of the Detroit Chapter of the NAACP. The program will also feature the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner by Tatum Payton of the Detroit Youth Choir and Lift Every Voice and Sing by Tylar Smith, Renaissance High School. A free International Taste Fest will be held immediately following the Program in the Southfield Pavilion.

“Our theme of “peace and justice for the next generation” provides the backdrop for our event,” according to Faira Glenn, President of the Task Force. “We will continue to remember Dr. King and his commitment to dreaming of a world that recognized and believed in the humanity of all.”

The Task Force will also recognize youth for their community service at the MLK Youth Service Awards at Hope United Methodist Church on January 9 at 7-10 p.m. This event is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate and recognize the outstanding achievements of our youth in serving the community. Get ready for an inspiring evening filled with heartfelt speeches, amazing performances, and the presentation of well-deserved awards. Pre-registration is required at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-mlk-youth-service-awards-tickets-716939815287. Contact Sherita Watson, MLK Second Vice President and Education Chair for additional information about the Youth Service Awards at (313) 460-1441.

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Task Force, Inc. is an all-volunteer grassroots civic organization. Its mission and purpose is to celebrate the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to accept the challenges to work to make real the promise of America as a land of freedom, equality, opportunity, and brotherhood, and to commit to plan observances to remind us of his philosophy of non-violent actions for creating positive social change. They are a civic and advocacy organization guided by the works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to facilitate social change, the education of our youth and to promote justice.

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 general information, call the MLK Task Force hotline at (248) 924-9655 or visit www.mlktaskforcemi.org. For more information about the walk, contact Dorothy Dean, Opening Ceremony Chair at (248) 790-0531. For more information about the program, contact Kyle Van Lopes, First Vice President and Program Chairman at (248) 331-3113.