Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 Detroit march remembered 50 years later

DETROIT (AP) — Thousands participated in a Detroit march commemorating the 50th anniversary of one that Martin Luther King Jr. led in 1963.

The walk down Woodward Avenue on Saturday morning culminated in a riverfront rally at Hart Plaza.

The civil rights icon visited Detroit on June 23, 1963, to lead tens of thousands in a freedom walk and also previewed his “I Have a Dream” speech.

Martin Luther King III, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton participated in Saturday’s march and rally.

Detroit NAACP President Wendell Anthony said the march “signifies that the work for freedom and justice must continue” in Detroit and worldwide.

Sharpton says it’s important to keep fighting for justice and marchers weren’t merely taking “a nostalgia trip down Woodward.”