News

Actions

Photos: Martin Luther King Jr. at Detroit's Freedom March in 1963

Martin Luther King Jr Detroit AP 1963_3
Posted at 7:49 AM, Jan 20, 2020
and last updated 2021-01-18 05:54:45-05

(WXYZ) — It was on June 23, 1963, that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. walked down Woodward Ave. as part of the Freedom March.

The next day, he first delivered his famous "I Have A Dream" speech at Cobo Hall Arena on June 24.

More than 100,000 people attended the walk, and King called it "one of the most wonderful things that has happened in America," according to the Reuther Library.

Check out photos from the event below.

Martin Luther King Jr Detroit AP 1963_1
Pipe-smoking man bottom center being restrained as he heads for Rev. Martin Luther King on Sunday, June 23, 1963 in Detroit's Freedom March. To the right of the pipe-smoking man is Mayor Jerome Cavanagh of Detroit. (AP Photo)
Martin Luther King Jr Detroit AP 1963_1
Pipe-smoking man bottom center being restrained as he heads for Rev. Martin Luther King on Sunday, June 23, 1963 in Detroit's Freedom March. To the right of the pipe-smoking man is Mayor Jerome Cavanagh of Detroit. (AP Photo)
Martin Luther King Jr Detroit AP 1963_2
Thousands of Freedom Marchers engulf Woodward Ave., in downtown Detroit, June 23, 1963. The parade, billed as a protest against racial discrimination, was led by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader. (AP Photo)
Martin Luther King Jr Detroit AP 1963_2
Thousands of Freedom Marchers engulf Woodward Ave., in downtown Detroit, June 23, 1963. The parade, billed as a protest against racial discrimination, was led by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader. (AP Photo)
Martin Luther King Jr Detroit AP 1963_3
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., speaks to an overflow crowd in Detroit?s Cobo Hall Arena on Sunday, June 23, 1963, following a ?Freedom March.? An estimated 100,000 ?walkers? paraded to the hall through downtown Detroit and gathered in the hall and overflowed outside to hear him speak on the rights of Blacks. (AP Photo
Martin Luther King Jr Detroit AP 1963_3
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., speaks to an overflow crowd in Detroit?s Cobo Hall Arena on Sunday, June 23, 1963, following a ?Freedom March.? An estimated 100,000 ?walkers? paraded to the hall through downtown Detroit and gathered in the hall and overflowed outside to hear him speak on the rights of Blacks. (AP Photo