DETROIT – As people across Detroit pause to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this holiday, the city is alive with purpose and service.
At the Dossin Elementary and Middle School campus, the day is “a day on, not a day off” for the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s Gamma Lambda Chapter in Detroit.
They are taking time to mentor dozens of students, helping children make crowns and collages for a mosaic honoring Dr. King. Harry Todd, president of the Gamma Lambda Chapter, emphasized the importance of visibility, saying, “It’s important for the students to see us. Because they can be what they see.”
Nearby, more fraternity brothers are working with older students, leading financial literacy classes and a male responsibility program.
“It starts with our community,” said Bro. Toine Murphy of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. “It starts with our students. It’s important for us to get in at the young age, so that we can shape them and grow, and plant the seed.”
A few miles away in Detroit’s New Center area, hundreds of people gathered at St. Matthew’s-St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church.
Despite cold weather forcing the cancellation of a planned march, activists, organizers, and community members rallied to discuss topics like human rights and hope. One speaker said, “We have an inherent belief that we can and we have made differences.”
Acts of service continued across town at Third New Hope Baptist Church – West Campus, where about 200 members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s Lambda Pi Omega Chapter gathered in the spirit of giving back.
“Today, we have packed 1,908 toiletry kits, in order to serve those clients at the Detroit Rescue Mission,” said Crystal Sewell, president of the Lambda Pi Omega Chapter. “These hygiene kits will go to vulnerable neighbors in need across the city of Detroit.”
Whether impacting youth, seniors, or any neighbor in need, many Detroiters are committed to making a difference through service.