UAW President Shawn Fain will speak at the 21st Detroit Martin Luther King Day Rally and March on January 15, 2024, at 12 pm ET.

Location: St. Matthew’s-St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church, 8850 Woodard Avenue at Holbrook

Date & Time: Mon. Jan. 15, 2024, 12pm-3:00pm ET

Theme: “For Jobs, Peace, and Justice, while protecting Water, Climate, and Communities.

The Detroit MLK Day Committee has been organizing this event on the federal holiday commemorating the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for the past twenty years. This year’s event comes amid a heightening struggle for labor rights and against imperialist war across the United States and the world.

The rally and march will feature speakers and artists from the Detroit area highlighting the wealth of community organizers and cultural workers in southeastern Michigan. A broad coalition of these social forces is very much needed in the coming year to meet the challenging facing the people of the city, the country, and the globe. 

The current period has been characterized by widespread strikes in various sectors of the economy including unions representing autoworkers, heath care practitioner, writers, actors, entertainment workers, educators, and service employees. During the last few months, Detroit has been labelled “Strike City” because of the work stoppages involving tens of thousands of workers. Being honored is the increasing militant posture of working people, a tradition in which the city was built upon.

Labor unions are encouraged to participate in this event along with their rank-and-file members to symbolize the necessity of organizing and mobilizing the majority of people in order to achieve genuine democracy and economic rights.