MLK, Jr. Day: 60th Anniversary of the Detroit Freedom March

January 16 2023 | 10:00am to 2:00pm

Celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the 60th anniversary of his Great March to Freedom in Detroit on Monday, January 16 at the Detroit Historical Museum! Kids are invited to march through the museum's galleries to pay tribute to the day when Dr. King led 125,000 people down Woodward Avenue on June 23, 1963.

Detroit attorney Elliott Hall, who drove King around Detroit on many of his visits during the 1960s, will speak at 11:30 a.m. about the impact of King’s 1963 march, and footage of King’s actual speech will be shown. Before and after the program, participants will be able to make peace signs to wear during the mini-march, which starts at 12:30 p.m. Alumni from the Detroit Mosaic Youth Choir will also teach the audience the Civil Rights freedom song, “We Shall Over Come." 

After the procession ends, celebrate Dr. King’s Birthday with cupcakes and singing Stevie Wonder's “Happy Birthday.”  Attendees can also take a selfie with our life-sized Dr. King photo opp.

Presented in partnership with the Detroit Historical Society's Black Historic Sites Committee.

Admission is free with registration!

Register now