Stevie Wonder Returns To Motown

Stevie Wonder will sing as part of a 40-day observance of the 40th anniversary of Detroit's deadly 1967 riots.

Gospel singer Kirk Franklin has also committed to perform at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions football team, and organizers said they were seeking other big-name entertainers.

Five days of rioting in 1967 killed 43 people, injured hundreds and marked a key juncture in Detroit's five-decade decline from an industrial giant of about 2 million people to an impoverished city of about 900,000.

"We've had enough. We've seen enough. It's time for change," Michael Fezzey, co-chair of the group planning the July 27, 2007, concert, told The Detroit News for a story published Friday. "The systems and structures in place aren't enough. What needs to happen is a change of heart. This is about making systematic change in our communities."

The riots accelerated white suburban flight from what then was a majority white city. Today, about 80 percent of Detroit residents are black.