By Staci Lawson, Alcorn State University Kennedy Square is located on Woodward Avenue at Fort Street. It was named for President John F. Kennedy. The original Detroit City Hall was formally situated on this site. It stood on this location for nearly a century. A new combined city and county municipal facility was built one block away. A multi-level underground parking garage was built on the old city hall site. Above ground, a modem downtown park and group meeting area with a large stage was erected. Kennedy Square is the site of many downtown labor and civil rights rallies. It is the final destination of the annual Labor Day Parade. In June of 1963, a march by hundreds of thousands of people was led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. At this rally, he made mention of parts of his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. He later perfected it and presented this moving speech to the nation during the famous Civil Rights march on Washington D.C. in August of 1963. A short video of the Detroit march, entitled “Rememberances of the March,” is available from the Michigan Coalition of Human Rights. |
