Free, family-friendly event to commemorate historic civil rights march with live music and 
art showcase exploring themes of freedom on Sunday, July 9 in Detroit’s Palmer Park
 
The Detroit Parks Coalition and People for Palmer Park will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Detroit Walk to Freedom, a massive civil rights march held on June 23, 1963. The historic event drew thousands to downtown Detroit and culminated with a moving address by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which is widely considered a preview to his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington just two months later.
 
The 60th anniversary celebration at Palmer Park will commemorate the Detroit Walk to Freedom with various art displays and live performances from Marion Hayden and Freedom Sounds—featuring Marion Hayden on bass, A. Spencer Barefield on guitar, Alvin Waddles on piano, Tariq Gardner on drums and Isis Damil on vocals. 
 
Freedom Sounds will perform a free concert featuring music of the Civil Rights era—exploring themes of freedom, activism, collective work, spirituality and resistance through the lens of artists such as Max Roach, Donny Hathaway, Bob Marley and the Jazz, R&B, Reggae and Gospel traditions—along with original works by Marion Hayden and A. Spencer Barefield. The Freedom Sounds concert invites guests to explore our shared humanity and reflect on Dr. King's dream—through music.
 
Following the Freedom Sounds performance, attendees can enjoy a reggae dance party with King Mellowman and Mellow Runnings.
 
Cranbrook Art Museum will host a free cyanotype constellation making activity based on the artwork Finding Freedom by Sonya Clark. Each participant will create and take their own constellation fabric square using the sun and seeds. The artwork is on view until September 24, 2023 as part of the exhibition Sonya Clark: “We Are Each Other”,  a meditation on the plight of individuals fleeing slavery along the Underground Railroad.  (link: https://cranbrookartmuseum.org/exhibition/sonya-clark-we-are-each-other/)
 
Cranbrook Art Museum’s Curator of Public Programs Lyla Catellier will help people make cyanotype constellations from seeds. It’s basically a photographic process. A mixture of salts that make a solution that turns blue with sun exposure - wherever you put an object on top - in this case seeds - it stays white. It was one of the first forms of photography and discovered by a female chemist
 
Madrid-born artist Marta Carvajal will display her artwork of freedom fighters from MLK to Malcom X, Nina Simone, Miles Davis and others. (https://www.martacarvajal.art) “Marta’s visual art painting canvas visual storyteller style is cutting edge and is the new wave for this generation that incorporates traditional and digital. She explores history to create her rare artistic documentary Artwork, which also teaches the present and future generation about the Human rights of great leaders and notable persons and their legacy.”-- Gregory J. Reed (author, attorney for Rosa Parks’; worked with Nelson Mandela, Coretta Scott King, Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker, The Last Poets, Motown legends, others)
 
WHEN:          Sunday, July 9, 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.
WHERE:        Palmer Park, 910 Merrill Plaisance St. • Detroit
WEBSITE:     www.detroitparkscoalition.com/freedom-arts-festival
 
ABOUT DETROIT PARKS COALITION
The Detroit Parks Coalition (DPC) is an alliance of organizations supporting healthy, equitable, and
vibrant parks and public spaces. We are a diverse group of park leaders and community members who have come together to expand resources for Detroit parks. For more information, visit DetroitParksCoalition.com.

Photos: Barbara Barefield

DETROIT – The Midwestern Tennis Association is partnering with the USTA’s Southeastern Michigan District, the Motor City Tennis Club, and the Palmer Park Tennis Academy to mark the Juneteenth holiday with a public event that celebrates the past and inspires hope for the future.

The event is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 17 at Palmer Park, 10 Merrill Plaisance St. in Detroit. A one-day USTA Level 7 junior tennis tournament with two co-ed divisions for 14U and 18U will start at 10 a.m.

The event includes tennis drills for all levels using red, orange, and yellow balls, a contest to see who can deliver the fastest serve, historical displays, a catered lunch, refreshments and more!

"We’re teaming up to provide a fun day in the park to honor our past, celebrate our present, and inspire hope for the future," said Leonora King, the executive director and founder of the People for Palmer Park Tennis Academy. "We invite everyone to join us and participate because we know the benefits of coming together as a community to learn, have fun and strengthen our minds and bodies.”

Local attorney Jeffrey Collins, a tennis coach and community leader, is scheduled to give a talk on Ethical Leadership. A longtime tennis player and coach at Palmer Park and Motor City Tennis, Collins received the Dennis W. Archer Public Service Award from the Detroit Bar Association in 2021.

“The goal is to celebrate Juneteenth, and this is our third year doing so,” said Burrell Shields, president of the Motor City Tennis Club. “But it’s much more than that. We provide an educational experience for our participants through our guest speakers and featured exhibits.”

The Palmer Park event focuses on the importance of Juneteenth and celebrates the struggles and achievements of Black people in America, and it also supports the overall mission of these nonprofit organizations to bring the physical and social benefits of tennis to underserved communities in Detroit.
Both Motor City Tennis Club and People for Palmer Park are USTA National Junior Tennis & Learning organizations.

“This year’s Juneteenth event provides yet another opportunity to demonstrate the positive impact tennis has on people of all ages and abilities,” said Michele Burton, executive director of USTA’s Southeastern Michigan district. “There’s no better time to get involved in what I believe is the best sport in the world.
Playing tennis will not only help you to live longer, but it will also provide a healthy and fun way to make new friends.”

About the Midwestern Tennis Association
The Midwestern Tennis Association (MID-TAC), which teaches life lessons through tennis, is celebrating its 100th Year (1923-2023). MID-TAC, a 501(c)3 organization, is the Midwest Section of the American Tennis Association (“ATA” founded in 1916) and has ties to local community tennis in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin and beyond. Find more information on how to support MID-TAC on the website here.

About USTA Southeastern Michigan
USTA Southeastern Michigan is the local district of the United States Tennis Association - the national governing body of tennis in the U.S. We are one of 13 districts that comprise the Midwest Section (headquartered in Indianapolis).

We are a not-for-profit organization committed to tennis and growing the game. USTA Southeastern Michigan is made up of the following counties of Michigan: Hillsdale, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne. More than 10,000 youth and adults are members of
our District. Learn more by visiting our website here.

Contact:
Joe Tedino, email: jtedino@chicagodistricttennis.com

“Earth Tones connects music-making and the sounds of nature through artistic improvisation and intuition, and active listening. Each concert features two ensembles – a youth-led or emerging group and a more established jazz or improvisational group,” said Joseph Darling, a music curator who conceived the series and is a PFPP board member.

The June 4 Earth Tones concert features the Kris Johnson Group with opening ensemble 26 Cents Flat. Johnson is a trumpeter, composer, and Director of Michigan State University’s Community Music School in Detroit.
The concert takes place at 2:30 pm near the Palmer Park Log Cabin, amid the Palmer Park Art Fair.  Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket and a picnic for the next three free concerts that begin at 5 pm.

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES IN THE SERIES:

• July 16:  Constant Pressure and the  Kaleigh Wilder Trio.
• August 27: Tariq Gardner's Evening Star trio and Djallo Djakate's Inner Ear.
• Oct. 1: Kasan Belgrave Duo and the Michael Malis Trio.

Palmer Park Earth Day
Sunday, April 23, 2023

• Park-wide Clean-Up
• Old Growth Forest Ceremony & Guided Walk
• Aziza Fairy Forest Treasure & Trash Hunt

 
Join People for Palmer Park as we celebrate Earth Day, clean our beloved park, explore the woods, and enjoy friends, family and nature. From grit to magic, we welcome all ages to pick up a bag and help make a difference.
 
Sign up at palmerparkearthday2023.eventbrite.com to volunteer and join us for a day celebrating nature.
 
Spring Cleanup! Spring is upon us and we want Palmer Park to look beautiful and vibrant for the wonderful community of people who enjoy the park. Trash pick-up, weeding, sweeping, raking, and clearing are just some of the ways to volunteer your time and energy! 
 
Aziza Fairy Forest Trash & Treasure Hunt. Earth Day at Palmer Park is also a fun family event, too! For the young ones, sign up to search for the treasures: the tiny, invisible, magical Aziza Fairies from African and their hand-painted doors that will hang from branches throughout the forest trails. Explore the forest pathways and pick up trash to leave the woods sparkling and clean.
 
Old Growth Forest Ceremony! At noon, between the two clean-up shifts, join us to welcome Nick Sanchez from the Old Growth Forest Network. Detroit’s Palmer Park’s Witherell Woods will be inducted into the Old Growth Forest Network and we want to celebrate with you!
 
The 70-acre Witherell Woods in Palmer Park is the largest old-growth forest in the Tri-County area, and one of only seven forests in the City of Detroit. This is quite an honor, since only 5% of U.S. forests remain undisturbed allowing old growth trees and plants to flourish. Following the brief ceremony, Nick and representatives from PFPP will lead a guided walk through the woods.
 
Sign up with your family, community groups or neighborhood associations, work staff, or come yourself! Please help spread the work and invite as many neighbors and friends as you can!
 
Volunteers will be deployed throughout the park to promote social distancing and to cover as much of the park as possible. Choose a two-hour shift or stay for the whole time. Additional information will be sent the Thursday prior to the clean-up with instructions and directions to your location. (Note: Ticket location is a meeting point, not the site where you will be sent to clean-up)
 
People for Palmer Park will be providing gloves, trash bags, tools, hand sanitizer, and light refreshments. Please bring your own water bottle!
 
Invite family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and any other nature lovers in your life! 

​Detroit, meet Girl Scouts! At Family Day in the Park, you'll not only have a great time, but you'll also get a firsthand look at how Girl Scouting isn't just another activity—it's a way of life.

We'll have exciting activities for children in grades K–12, like:

• A basketball clinic run by the Detroit Pistons
• Girl Scout programming:
  • Outdoor activities
  • Archery
  • LEGO Derby
• And more!

 
Other FREE happenings for everyone include (but aren't limited to):

• Popcorn, ice cream, and water*
• Live entertainment
• Awesome GSSEM and partner swag (while supplies last)

* Other food and Girl Scout Cookies will be available for purchase.
 
For more information, please email Tiffiny Griffin, Deputy Chief Program Officer, at tgriffin@gssem.org.

Presented by Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan, in partnership with Detroit Pistons, Nike, Detroit PAL, Grand Valley State University and Detroit Mercy Dental.