- 9:00 AM — Martin Luther King Day Cycling Celebration
Experience Time:
9:00 AM: Ceremony Gathering
10:00 AM: Bike Launch
11:30 AM: Return to the Wright
Location: Lower Farnsworth
Details:
Join Tour de Troit for a cycling celebration of the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. This free event invites families to participate in a 10-mile ride through Detroit, visiting historical sites connected to Dr. King and other local activists. Registration is required. The route will begin at the Wright and conclude at the Wright. After the ride, participants can enjoy hot chocolate. The route highlights significant locations, including landmarks tied to the 1963 March to Freedom and Dr. King’s iconic "I Have a Dream" speech at Cobo Arena. The Tour de Troit organization promotes bicycling and safety through education, community events, and support for non-motorized infrastructure.
Registration is required. Safety waivers will be completed onsite.
Register here for Tour de Troit - MLK Day Cycling Celebration
- 11:30 AM — Film Screening & Talk Back
Times: 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Location: General Motors Theater
Special Guest: Judy Richardson, civil rights activist (SNCC) and documentary filmmaker (Eyes on the Prize)
Details: Explore an episode from the Eyes on the Prize series on the rise of Black Power and the shift within the Civil Rights Movement from nonviolent protest to demands for political and economic self-determination, highlighting Malcolm X’s influence, new leadership, and the growing call for empowerment and control over Black communities’ futures.
- Various Times — Art as a Bridge: Healing and Unity Workshop
Session Times:
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Foundations of Healing
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Location: Latimer Café
Details:
Guided Art Activity: Participants engage in a calming paint-by-number project to foster mindfulness and connection, focusing on grounding and healing through collaborative creativity.
Group Reflection and Dialogue: Each session concludes with a shared discussion, allowing participants to reflect on their artistic process and explore how creative expression can promote unity and transformation.
- Various Times — Read for Justice: MLK Family Storytelling Celebration
Reading Times:
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: Orientation Theatre
- Various Times — Step into the Story
Experience Times:
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Location: Wright Community Room
Details:
Sign up for a family-friendly reenactment of a historical moment in time. Participants rehearse briefly alongside professional actors from Detroit’s theatrical community before taking the stage.
- 2:30 PM — Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
In Partnership with Dossin Elementary School & The Wright Experience Time:
12:45 PM – 1:00 PM: Buses and students arrive and join ongoing activities at The Wright.
Program Time:
2:30 PM – 4:10 PM
Location:
General Motors Theater (GMT)
Details:
Welcome & Introduction of the MCs: Toine Murphy & Demetrius Scott will host the event, with remarks by Lance Wheeler, Vice President of Public Programs. Artistic & Educational Elements: Featuring performances, speeches, and cultural showcases.
- 4:00 PM — Hustle for History
Experience Times:
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Location: Wright Community Room
Details:
Hustle for History is a lively MLK Day program that celebrates the power of movement, music, and community. This experience highlights how Black dance traditions carry stories of resilience, unity, and freedom that echo Dr. King's vision. Through interactive moments and joyful expression, participants explore how culture has always been a force for connection, hope, and collective action.
- 6:00 PM — Soul of the Dream: A Night Honoring MLK
Experience Time:
6:00 PM–6:30 PM: Drink & Mingle (Rotunda)
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: General Motors Theater (GMT)
Details:
We Who Believe in Freedom is not a concert or play alone. It is a gathering of our people in the spirit of resistance and joy. Detroit’s poets and emcees will testify, a choir will lift the roof with sound, and elders and youth will speak across generations. The evening will close with a love letter to the City, the Wright, and Dr. King designed to stir the spirit and strengthen the audacious will of Detroit’s community.
