Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration returns to Lansing after COVID hiatus

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - After being online for two years, Lansing’s Martin Luther King Celebration is back in-person and over 1,000 people attended the event.

Dr. Martin Luther King once said, “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” And hope for a better future is exactly what Linda Long is wishing for.

“We’ve come so far and we’re still continuing to grow and to learn about what Dr. Martin Luther King was fighting for,” said Long.

People from all backgrounds and ethnicities joined together Monday at the Lansing Center to honor the legacy Dr. King left behind.

Lansing mayor Andy Schor said the event has been virtual since the pandemic, but he’s happy to see people gathering together in person again.

“This is a chance to come together in person with energy and celebrate the legacy and ideas and the things that Dr. King held it so true for all of us,” said Schor

Dr. Fred David Gray is a lawyer who risked his life to attack segregation in the court. He was the first civil rights attorney for King.

“We had a very good personal relationship,” Gray said.

He has been fighting for people’s rights for more than 68 years.

“My desire was to destroy everything segregated I could find,” said Gray.

“You know I want to fight for something too,” said Linda Long.

Although Dr. Martin Luther King is no longer here, his dream lives on.

Gray was not only King’s lawyer, he also represented other key African American figures like Rosa Parks. In July, President Joe Biden awarded Dr. Fred Gray with the Presidential Medal of Freedom award, which is the country’s highest award for a civilian.

Read next:

• Brighton firefighters rescue sheep trapped on partially-frozen lake
• Later winters ‘hit the pocketbook’ for Mid-Michigan businesses
• No major injuries reported in house fire on Lansing’s north side
• Dashcam footage captures recovery of stolen truck in Howell

Subscribe to our News 10 newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email every morning.

Copyright 2023 WILX. All rights reserved.