Michiganders honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s impact on Detroit: "Our focus is on helping people"
(CBS DETROIT) — Nearly 60 years after his death, the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. continue to be honored and celebrated by the next generation.
"None of us can do everything, but all of us can do something, and the needs are great," said Rev. Richard White III, pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.
At Wayne County Community College's Northwest Campus, the Detroit chapter of the NAACP hosted a day-long event to celebrate King's lasting impact on Motor City.
"Our focus is on helping people, and this is an opportunity for us to be able to do it. And I believe that's what Dr King's focus was, that he focused on helping people everywhere he could," said White.
White leads the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Detroit, only the second congregation in the country with that name. The other one was led by King himself in Montgomery, Alabama.
"Due to the work of Dr. King and so many others who gave up their lives, who sacrificed for us to be able to have the rights that we had today, it is our job. It is incumbent upon us that we do the same thing, that we serve, that we make a difference," said White.
Volunteer Antoinette McGarvin says Monday's day of service felt bittersweet as the dozens gathered watched President Donald Trump's inauguration.
"What are we going to do moving forward? That's what it's really all about. Let's not focus on what our beliefs are. We should be focusing on what can we do to move forward," said McGarvin.
Those who volunteer say that the meaning of today revolves around legacy.
"That's our future, and they are our true leaders, so we're just laying the groundwork for them to pick up the mantle and take it on," said McGarvin.
As attendees discussed how the new presidential administration could impact the lives of Detroiters, White encouraged them to continue to ask those questions and fight for the future they want to see.
"We've got to serve. We have to do what we can. We have to continue to fight, even in the midst of all that we're facing. We can't give up. We can never lose hope," said White.
