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Examining the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Posted at 6:29 PM, Jan 17, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-17 19:22:53-05

(WXYZ) — In tonight's 7 UpFront segment, we're holding a conversation on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the challenges that still exist in our society today.

Joining us to talk about it is the Pastor of Fellowship Chapel in Detroit and the President of the Detroit Chapter of the NAACP, the Reverend Dr. Wendell Anthony.

You can see the full interview in the video player above.

"My main point is that the work of Dr. King continues," Anthony says. "You know, so often we treat Dr. King like we treat Christmas. We bring him out once a year, we decorate him with petitions and proclamations and luncheons and things of that nature. All that's fine, but don't leave him on a mountaintop dreaming, bring him back down into the valley working. Dr. King would be pushing for voting rights. He was about voting. He said voting was the foundation stone of our democracy. He would be about equity in our society. He would be about healthcare. He would be about jobs. Certainly, his primary concern right now would be that America not go back on its legacy, that we would go forward and we would not submit ourselves to becoming an autocracy. And so when you talk about Dr. King, yes it's good to volunteer, but volunteer to vote, volunteer to make sure that your senators and congresspeople are passing the John Lewis voting advancement act and the Freedom to Vote Act. Move now, before it is too late. That's what Dr. King was about and what he would be about today."