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5 Ties Michigan Has With Martin Luther King, Jr.

As the nation recognizes Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, here's a look at the civil rights leader's Michigan connections.

 

The nation remembers the words and life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Monday but did you know of the civil rights leader's connections to Michigan?

From the Rosa Parks bus at the Henry Ford Museum to a 1968 visit to a Grosse Pointe high school, here's five ways you can experience King's legacy right in your backyard.

1. Original Dream Speech - King first delievered the "I have a Dream" speech to a crowd of 150,000 at Cobo Hall in Detroit, two months before the famous rendention in during the March on Washington in 1963.

2. Historical Recording - The original version of the "Dream" speech was recorded by Gordy Records, a subsidiary of Motown Records in Detroit.

3. Rosa Parks Bus - When she refused to give up her seat to a white person on a public bus in 1955, Rosa Parks, a tired black seamstress, sparked the civil rights movement that King led. That bus remains one of the most visited exhibits in Dearborn's Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village.

4. Visit to Grosse Pointe - In 1968, King gave a speech to a crowd of 2,700 at what is now Grosse Pointe South High School, according to the Grosse Pointe Historical Society. He was assasinated three weeks later.

5. MLK Symposium - Monday will mark the 27th annual MLK symposium at the University of Michigan. Each year the university focuses on a topic related to King in an effort to "remember the work and legacy of Dr. King." This year's theme is 50 Years Later (R) Evolution of the Dream.

Related Topics: Martin Luther King Jr.

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