The city of Southfield and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Task Force will host the 40^th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Peace Walk Celebration on Monday, January 20 beginning at 9 a.m. at Hope United Methodist Church, 26275 Northwestern Highway. This year's theme will be "Social Justice Through Inclusion Equity and Diversity."

The peace walk will depart from Hope United Methodist Church at 9:00 a.m., followed by an 11 a.m. program at the Southfield Pavilion, located at 26000 Evergreen Road. Fumi Johns Stewart, Executive Director of May Peace Prevail On Earth International,will serve as the keynote speaker for this year's event. Fumi Johns Stewart was born in Tokyo and grew up with a sincere wish to bridge the two culture of her American and Japanese parentage. Fumi was instrumental in introducing the Japanese based May Peace Prevail On Earth movement to the international community in the early 1980's. She brought The Peace Pole Project out of Japan and assisted in opening the International Headquarters of May Peace Prevail On Earth International in the state of New York in 1988. Fumi also serves as US liaison to sister organizations, the Goi Peace Foundation and The Byakko Shink.

"We are excited to have Fumi Johns Stewart as our speaker, who will bring 130 flags to the Peace Walk for marchers to carry from Hope United Methodist Church down MLK Drive to place in the Pavilion," stated Faira Glenn, President, MLK Task Force. "This year we plan to highlight the theme of Social Justice through Equality, Inclusion and Diversity internationally by providing Peace Poles which are recognized as an international symbol for peace."

A free Taste Fest will immediately follow the event featuring samples from Cornbread, Fuddruckers's, Mediterranean Grill, Shields, and Nikola's. Fruit will also be provided by Market Fresh of Beverly Hills and coffee and pastries by McDonalds.

The Task Force will also recognize youth for their community service at the MLK Youth Service Awards at Hope United Methodist Church on Tuesday, January 14 from 7-10 p.m. This event celebrates and recognizes the outstanding achievements of our youth in serving the community. This will be an inspiring evening filled with heartfelt speeches, amazing performances, and the presentation of well-deserved awards. Pre-registration is required at:

https://www.mlktaskforcemi.org/events-1/2025-youth-services-awards-program/form. Contact Sherita Watson, MLK Second Vice President and Education Chair, for additional information about the Youth Service Awards at (313) 460-1441.

The MLK Task Force of Southfield will host their 4th annual food giveaway on Friday, January 17 from 2-4 p.m. in collaboration with Forgotten Harvest at the Southfield Parks & Recreation parking lot. Food will be available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. This event is put on as part of a series of events recognizing the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The 2025 theme: Social justice through equality, inclusion and diversity.

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Task Force, Inc. is an all-volunteer grassroots civic organization. Its mission and purpose is to celebrate the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to accept the challenges to work to make real the promise of America as a land of freedom, equality, opportunity, and brotherhood, and to commit to plan observances to remind us of his philosophy of non-violent actions for creating positive social change. They are a civic and advocacy organization guided by the works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to facilitate social change, the education of our youth and to promote justice.

Southfield was the first city in the state of Michigan to hold a Dr. King peace walk or march. The first Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Walk took place on January 20, 1986, commemorating the first national observance of Dr. King's birthday. The walk continues to grow in size and scope each year, with year-long educational and community outreach activities.

For general information, call the MLK Task Force hotline at (248) 924-9655 or visit www.mlktaskforcemi.org. For more information about the walk, contact Dorothy Dean, Opening Ceremony Chair at (248) 790-0531. For more information about the program, contact Kyle Van Lopes, First Vice President and Program Chairman at (248) 331-3113.

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