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Michigan
United
honors
grassroots
leaders,
issues
call to
action
at 6th
Annual
MLK
event
Jean
Davis -
Local/State
Tell Us
Detroit
News
DETROIT,
MI —
Michigan
United
hosted
its 6th
annual
Martin
Luther
King Jr.
Celebration
on
Monday
at
Pleasant
Grove
Missionary
Baptist
Church,
drawing
a
passionate
crowd
for a
three-hour
event
titled,
“My
Freedom.
My
Resistance.
Our
America.”
The
celebration
combined
spiritual
reflection
with a
firm
call to
civic
action,
honoring
local
leaders
who
embody
Dr.
King’s
legacy
of
courageous
resistance.
The
event
featured
powerful
testimony
from
faith
leaders
and
activists
who
addressed
current
political
challenges,
including
threats
to
democracy
and the
impact
of
federal
policies
on
marginalized
communities.
A somber
moment
of
silence
was held
for
Renee
Nicole
Good,
who was
tragically
killed
by an
ICE
agent
earlier
this
month.
“Dr.
King
once
said
that
freedom
is never
voluntarily
given by
the
oppressor;
it must
be
demanded
by the
oppressed,”
said
Rev.
Lawrence
Rodgers
of
Second
Baptist
Church.
“We can
never be
asleep
when it
comes to
maintaining
our
freedom.”
Keynote
speaker
Rev. Dr.
Genetta
Y.
Hatcher,
pastor
of The
Room
Church
of
Belleville,
energized
the
audience
by
bridging
Dr.
King’s
philosophy
with
contemporary
culture.
“The arc
of the
moral
universe
is long,
but it
bends
toward
justice.
But it
doesn’t
bend on
its
own,”
Rev. Dr.
Hatcher
said.
“It
bends
because
we pull
that
thing.”
Recognizing
Community
Champions
A
central
highlight
of the
ceremony
was the
presentation
of
awards
to
grassroots
organizers
and
leaders
nominated
by the
community
for
their
work in
local
activism
and
political
healing.
The 2026
Award
Recipients
included:
•
Honorary
MLK
Awards:
Posthumously
awarded
to the
Honorable
Carolyn
Cheeks
Kilpatrick
and Rene
Lichtman.
Additional
recipients:
Minister
Malik
Shabazz,
Rev.
Oscar
King
III,
Pastor
Sharon
Buttry,
Pastor
Dale
Milford,
and Rev.
Dr.
Louis
Forsythe.
•
Justice
Warrior
Award:
Lexi
Tater
(Michigan
United
Action)
• Winnie
Mandela
Freedom
Fighter
Award:
Christina
Hayes
(Mothering
Justice)
• Mamie
Till
Political
Healer
Award:
Kai Page
• John
Lewis
Political
Healer
Award:
Nicholas
Buckingham
(Michigan
Liberation)
• Bayard
Rustin
Strategist
Award:
Katrina
Manetta
(Macomb
Defenders
Rising)
• Ryan
Bates
Founder
Award:
State
Rep.
Donovan
McKinney
“Politicians
will not
save us,
but our
community
will,”
added
speaker
Julie
Campbell-Bode
of
Distill
Social.
“Help
others
be brave
and
strong.”
The
event
served
as a
reminder
that the
fight
for
equity
requires
constant
vigilance
and a
unified
community
front.
Michigan
United
continues
to
organize
year-round
to
dismantle
the root
causes
of
racial
and
economic
inequity
across
the
state.
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