Grosse Pointe Farms in Wayne County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Martin Luther King Jr. In Grosse Pointe
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, May 11, 2021
1. Martin Luther King Jr. In Grosse Pointe Marker
Inscription.
Martin Luther King Jr. In Grosse Pointe. . Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the Grosse Pointe High School auditorium on March 14, 1968, to a crowd of more than two thousand people. In a speech entitled “The Other America,” King depicted two worlds within the nation: one where white families flourished, and another where black families struggled due to inequality. Nearly two hundred protestors from Breakthrough, an anti-communist group based in Detroit, picketed outside the high school and heckled King during his speech. The protestors criticized King for his opposition to the Vietnam War. King allowed a few hecklers to voice their opinions during his presentation. At the end of the speech he received a standing ovation. Just three weeks after he visited Grosse Pointe, King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee., Speaking here in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. described “two Americas”: , , “One America is beautiful for situation…. In this America children grow up in the sunlight of opportunity. But there is another America. This other America has a daily ugliness about it that transforms the buoyancy of hope into the fatigue of despair.… Thousands of young people are deprived of an opportunity to get an adequate education … the schools are so segregated … that the best in these minds can never come out…. , , “However difficult it is to live amidst the constant hurt, the constant insult and the constant disrespect, I can still sing we shall overcome … because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice.”
Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the Grosse Pointe High School auditorium on March 14, 1968, to a crowd of more than two thousand people. In a speech entitled “The Other America,” King depicted two worlds within the nation: one where white families flourished, and another where black families struggled due to inequality. Nearly two hundred protestors from Breakthrough, an anti-communist group based in Detroit, picketed outside the high school and heckled King during his speech. The protestors criticized King for his opposition to the Vietnam War. King allowed a few hecklers to voice their opinions during his presentation. At the end of the speech he received a standing ovation. Just three weeks after he visited Grosse Pointe, King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
Speaking here in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. described “two Americas”:
“One America is beautiful for situation…. In this America children grow up in the sunlight of opportunity. But there is another America. This other America has a daily ugliness about it that transforms the buoyancy of hope into the fatigue of despair.… Thousands of young people are deprived of an opportunity to get an adequate education … the schools are so segregated … that the best in these minds can never come out….
“However difficult it is to live amidst the constant
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hurt, the constant insult and the constant disrespect, I can still sing we shall overcome … because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice.”
Erected 2018 by Michigan Historical Commission - Michigan History Center. (Marker Number S754.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1968.
Location. 42° 23.429′ N, 82° 54.22′ W. Marker is in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, in Wayne County. Marker is at the intersection of Fisher Road and Fisher Road, on the right when traveling north on Fisher Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11 Grosse Pointe Blvd, Grosse Pointe MI 48236, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Marker seen in front of Grosse Pointe South High School and its marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 27, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 20, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. This page has been viewed 326 times since then and 53 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on June 20, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.