LANSING, Mich. — Governor Gretchen Whitmer has proclaimed June 22-25 as June Jubilee: A Celebration of Freedom. The celebration commemorates historic events that have shaped the country’s progress toward equality, justice, and civil rights.
One of the historic events occurred on June 23, 1963, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched down Woodward Avenue in Detroit and delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech for the first time. 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of the historic event.
“The June Jubilee serves as a reminder to the nation that the work of Dr. King is not yet complete,” said Rev. Wendell Anthony, President NAACP, Detroit Branch. “We must not leave him on the mountain top dreaming but bring him back down into the valley where we can be seen working. This historic occasion is for all the people who believe that an injustice to anyone, anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Dr. King believed this and so do we. You may not have been there in 1963, 1993, 2003, or 2013, but you can be there in 2023 and be on the scene for freedom, civil rights, and human dignity. This is our time.”
“Today I am proud to proclaim June Jubilee in Michigan to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and celebrate the efforts of the Detroit Branch of the NAACP,” said Governor Whitmer. “This year marks 60 years since Dr. King debuted his iconic ‘I Have a Dream’ speech right here in Detroit. Together we have strived to live up the ideals he laid out decades ago by facing racial disparities in health care, education, housing, and so much more head on. We have made meaningful progress – closing the school funding gap, expanding health care to one million people, and lowering costs of child care, pre-K, housing, and job training – but we still have more to do. Our mission is to keep striving and working together to deliver real change that makes a difference in people’s lives and build a just, equitable Michigan for all.”
