IlluMyFi

GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- Martin Luther King Jr. lived a life fighting for freedom and justice. On Monday, Jan. 15, the country will celebrate and honor his legacy with a day dedicated to him. This year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls right on the civil rights leader's 95th birthday. In Genesee County, there will be plenty of events to attend to celebrate the life MLK lived. Below is a list of events set for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Flint. Gloria Coles Flint Public Library The 39th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration filled with song, movement, poetry, spoken word and engaging conversation takes place at the Gloria Coles Flint Public Library. Beginning at 2 p.m., this year's theme, set by The King Center, is "It Starts with Me." This event is free and open to the public. Join the FIA Museum and Art School for a free screening of "Across the Tracks: Unveiling the Vibrant African-American Community on Flint's Southside." From noon to 2 p.m., the film will be followed by an artist talk featuring Ed Watkins, who will share memories of growing up on Flint's southside and discuss why he chose to document his community in his artwork, forever immortalizing places lost to urban renewal. This program will take place in the FIA's Isabel Hall, and it is free and open to the public. "Across the Tracks" was produced by Jamal Bransford of NaaVah Media and Jerome Threlkeld, Community Engagement Coordinator at Sloan Museum of Discovery. In this neighborhood oral history project residents of Flint's southside share memories of their communities before their neighborhoods were reshaped by urban renewal and the construction of the I-475 expressway. The FIA is located at 1120 E. Kearsley St. in Flint. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flint and Genesee County Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flint and Genesee County will host the 18th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Mentoring Inspiration Breakfast, a longstanding tradition aimed at honoring the legacy of Dr. King through a celebration of service, volunteerism, and mentoring. Beginning at 8:30 a.m. at St. Michaels Conference Center, located at 609 E. 5th Ave. in Flint, the event has become a cornerstone in the community, drawing in over 100 supporters each year. This inclusive event is not a fundraiser; instead, it serves as a platform to raise awareness and foster engagement, promoting one-to-one mentorship professionally supported by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flint and Genesee County. This year's Mentoring Inspiration Breakfast is part of the collaborative efforts of the Mentoring in Leadership Making a Difference (MLMD) collaborative, spearheaded by Mott Community College and generously funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Partnering organizations include Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flint and Genesee County, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. -- Flint Alumnae Chapter, Flint Public Health Youth Academy, and Mott Community College. The 20th annual "Youth Salute to a King" The Flint Chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., in collaboration with the Esquire Mentoring & Leadership Program, will host the 20th annual "Youth Salute to A King" program honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. at Grace Emmanuel Baptist Church, 3502 Lapeer Road in Flint, the event will showcase the remarkable talents of young men and women from the Flint community, including participants from The Delta Academy, New Heart COGIC Dancing, Daughters of God, Delta GEMS, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and the Esquire Mentoring & Leadership Program. This commemorative occasion will feature performances in song and dance, with the highlight being a keynote address by Moses C. Bingham. Mr. Bingham, Senior Pastor of Damascus Holy Life Baptist Church and Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, will reflect on what Dr. King's Dream means to him. Free MTA Fare Day In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., the MTA is providing a Free Fare Day for local Fixed Route and Your Ride services. MTA plays a role in providing transportation for the community and The Free Fare Day only applies to the MTA's Fixed Route and Your Ride services and will be effective during normal business hours on Monday, Jan. 15. Certain limitations could apply, and general transportation guidelines and eligibility criteria for each service will remain in place. Individuals eligible to use Your Ride will have to schedule a ride for that day at least 24 hours in advance by calling 810-767-5541. Fixed Route buses will be following their normal routes and schedules. MTA is glad to be able to offer this service on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

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13.01.24 11:27

by mlive.com

Jim Harbaugh, Michigan football national champions parade through Ann Arbor

ANN ARBOR, MI - Shirtless 300-pound linemen. Cowboy hats. A Toucan Sam mascot, for some reason. Most importantly, accolades from Michigan football's national championship season, including running back Blake Corum's "Business is Finished" shirt. The Wolverines, fresh off Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship Game victory, paraded through Ann Arbor near campus on Saturday, Jan. 13, to celebrate the title with thousands of cheering fans. The parade started at 4 p.m. at President Santa Ono's house on South University, turned onto South State Street and ended after a little less than an hour at the team facility at Schembechler Hall. With police escorts bookending the parade, the celebration was led by the Michigan Marching Band only a couple of weeks removed from their performance at the Rose Parade in Pasadena before the Rose Bowl. In between the escorts were members of the football team standing on the backs of pickup trucks as they slowly moved down the street. Some of the vehicles were vintage firetrucks from the Michigan Firehouse Museum in Ypsilanti. With wind and snow swirling, offensive linemen, such as Trevor Keegan, Giovanni El-Hadi and Karsen Barnhart, opted to brave the conditions without shirts. Keegan caught a beverage thrown to him by a fan and chugged it amid roars from the crowd. Keegan was in one of the final cars at the back of the parade alongside Corum, defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, head coach Jim Harbaugh and others. Some of the loudest cheers came with this group, as well as Harbaugh's signature "Who's got it better than us...Nobody!" chant. For fans such as Stephanie Frankel, the parade was a throwback to the one she attended as a freshman at University of Michigan after the program's last national championship in 1997. That team split the title with Nebraska, while the 2023 team won the title outright, making Saturday's parade more special. "It was different then also because we didn't know until the next day that we were national champions," she said, pointing to the coaches and Associated Press polls that decided champions at the time. "It's also amazing to be celebrating now with my family versus when I was a freshman," she said, surrounded by numerous children, family and friends. Some of Frankel's children are old enough to understand the Wolverines have come a long way to reach this pinnacle of success. It was 10 years ago that former coach Brady Hoke's last team was 5-7, and it was less than four years ago in 2020 that the team went 2-4. "This has been what we've been waiting for," her husband Andy Frankel said. "To be able to experience these last six weeks, from the Ohio State game to the Rose Bowl to the national championship, with your children with the joy and excitement in their eyes, it was exciting." Adam Kellman was a cheerleader in the 1980s when Harbaugh was the Wolverines' quarterback. Those years under Bo Schembechler were successful, including a Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl appearance, but this year's title is on an...