Black History: Special Delivery!!
Left to right: Walter Reuther, Benjamin McFall, James Del Rio, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rev. C.L. Franklin. Behind Franklin is Detroit Mayor Jerome Cavanagh.
Two months before the “March On Washington” was held, there was The “Walk To Freedom” on June 23, 1963. Held in Detroit, it was the largest ever civil rights demonstration in the country at the time. It was estimated that approximately 125,000 people marched down Woodward Avenue in Detroit.
It was also the first time that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous, “I Have A Dream Speech”. National and state leaders who marched along with Reverend King included United Auto Workers president Walter Reuther, former Michigan governor John B. Swainson, and Detroit mayor Jerome Cavanagh.
The march ended at Cobo Hall where Dr. King was cheered by thousands of supporters when he stated that segregation needed to end. Dr. King believed that it was the responsibility of African Americans to take part in peaceful demonstrations like the Walk to Freedom, which he called, “one of the most wonderful things that has happened in America.”
Feel Free to Like/Share/Comment/Re-Post!