UAW Celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the Detroit Freedom Walk

UAW International President Shawn Fain, members of the UAW International Executive Board, and thousands of UAW members joined the Detroit community on Saturday, June 24th, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Detroit Freedom Walk of 1963.

During the 1963 “Walk to Freedom,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave an early version of his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech at Cobo Hall in Detroit.

The 2023 walk and rally, led by the Detroit chapter of the NAACP, commemorate historic events that have shaped U.S. progress towards equality, justice, and civil rights.

President Fain marched shoulder to shoulder with NAACP leaders and community leaders including President Derrick Johnson and Dr. Reverend Wendel Anthony, President of the Detroit Branch of NAACP.

UAW Vice Presidents Chuck Browning and Mike Booth, along with Region 1 Director LaShawn English, Region 1A Director Laura Dickerson, Region 2B Director Dave Green, Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla, and many UAW members and local leaders participated in the 60th Commemorative Freedom Walk.

The walk culminated in a rally at Hart Plaza, where President Fain emphasized the UAW’s commitment to civil rights and labor rights.

“The UAW will not abide racist attacks on our brothers and sisters and family of color. Civil rights are labor rights!”