Michigan Matters: Fighting for Inclusion, Detroit's Place in Civil Rights History
Southfield (CBS 62) - As Black History Month continues, Rabbi Richard Hirsch, Dr. Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, President of Oakland University, Neil A. Barclay, President & CEO of Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and Jamon Jordan, Historian and Educator at Black Scroll Network History & Tours, appear on CBS 62's Michigan Matters to discuss Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, the Civil Rights movement and more.
Hirsch, now 94, ran the Reform Movement's Religious Action Center on DuPont Circle in Washington in the 1960s and offered an office to Martin Luther King Jr. when the late leader came to D.C. Hirsch also helped draft the Civil Rights Bill in his conference room. President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed that bill into law. Hirsch also marched with Rev. King in Washington and Selma. He talked with Senior Producer/Host Carol Cain about those times and the march to justice today.
Pescovitz, who was only 6 at the time, also attended the March on Washington with her parents. She talked about importance of inclusion and equality. She just endowed a $250,000 gift to OU in her parents name to help recruit and retain professors and researchers of color.
Barclay discussed the importance of Black History Month and how his museum is celebrating with both virtual tours and also in person now on a limited basis due to the pandemic. People need pre-register for the in-person tours and social distancing rules are enforced to help keep people safe.
Jordan, who gives virtual and in-person tours of Detroit, talked about the Underground Railroad and ties to Detroit, as well as Rev. King's numerous visits to the Motor City. He also talked about Rosa Parks, another icon of the Civil Rights movement who lived in Detroit.
Watch MICHIGAN MATTERS, Sunday at 7:30am on CBS 62