Long-time MCHR board member Frank Hammer and his wife, Karen, have lived across the street from the former Michigan State Fairgrounds for 40 years. Since the final Michigan State Fair held there in 2009, the Hammers have been leading a group of Detroit activists in promoting a sustainable and community oriented re-development of the site.
Detour Detroit recently published an article on the events leading up to the controversial deal the City of Detroit made with commercial real estate interests to redevelop the site, which will include a $400 million, 300,000 sq. ft. Amazon distribution facility as its centerpiece. The coverage also examines the dedicated advocacy and activism of Frank and Karen, as they continue to fight for a redevelopment plan that considers the needs of the community.
Click here to read the Detour Detroit coverage (“Detroiters Spent Years Imagining the State Fairground’s Future. Why Didn’t the City Listen?”)
Rev. Liz Theoharis, Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, will present the keynote address at the 40th annual meeting of the Michigan Coalition for Human Rights (MCHR) which will be conducted virtually at 5 p.m. on October 4, 2020. MCHR will also recognize area human rights leaders for their works towards a peaceful world without poverty, prejudice, hate and commitment to environmental stewardship during the event.
Theoharis, an ordained Presbyterian minister, is also the director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice at Union Theological Seminar in New York City. She has been an activist and advocate for poor and homeless people for more than 20 years. In addition, Theoharis is the author of two books, “Always With Us? What Jesus Really Said About the Poor” and “Revive Us Again: Vision and Action in Moral Organizing.”
As part of the event, MCHR will also honor these local human rights leaders and activists with awards for their strong commitment and outstanding service to the community:
Tickets are $25 and available here. For additional information on tickets and the MCHR 40th annual dinner, please contact Chantelle Yancy at 313-579-9071 or mchrannualdinner@gmail.com.
About Michigan Coalition for Human Rights
The Michigan Coalition for Human Rights promotes awareness of, commitment to and advocacy for human rights and the environmental rights of planet Earth through education, community organization and action. MCHR opposes forces that suppress human dignity, freedom and justice – locally and around the world.
The Coalition for Police Transparency and Accountability, which includes 15 civil and human rights groups, is asking the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to investigate the killing of city resident Hakim Littleton by the Detroit Police in an incident which occurred on July 10, 2020.
Julie Hurwitz, an MCHR board member and part of the Coalition, was quoted in a Detroit News report on the request for an investigation of the shooting.
“The number of shots that were fired after (Littleton) was on the ground raises serious questions about what (police) were doing,” said Hurwitz, who is part of the group asking for an independent investigation. “The question is, should police have a license to execute someone, no matter what?”
Click here to read the Detroit News coverage.
The New York Times paid fitting tribute to Rep. John Lewis in a front page obituary that reviews the highlights of his life as a civil rights crusader.
Click here to see the NYT obituary.
MCHR Advisory Board Member has published an article in the Metro Times regarding the gentrification now occurring in Detroit’s historic Corktown neighborhood.
In his article (“Corktown’s Black Housing Project is ‘Target Area’ for Developers”), Wylie-Kellerman reported on current and prior redevelopment initiatives in Corktown and the impact on current residents of this district.
The Corktown neighborhood, which is named for its 19th century Irish residents from County Cork, Ireland, is in the area adjacent to the former site of Tiger Stadium at Michigan and Trumball Avenues in the near west side of Detroit.
Click here to read the entire article.
