June 22, 2023  

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Gov. Whitmer Proclaims June 22-25 as June Jubilee: A Celebration of Freedom  

LANSING, Mich.- Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer proclaimed June 22 through 25 as June Jubilee: A Celebration of Freedom, commemorating historic events that have shaped our nation’s progress toward equality, justice, and civil rights. On June 23, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched down Woodward Avenue in Detroit to advance jobs, justice, and freedom and delivered his famed "I Have a Dream" speech for the first time.  

“Today I am proud to proclaim June Jubilee in Michigan to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and celebrate the efforts of the Detroit Branch of the NAACP,” said Governor Whitmer. “This year marks 60 years since Dr. King debuted his iconic ‘I Have a Dream’ speech right here in Detroit. Together we have strived to live up the ideals he laid out decades ago by facing racial disparities in health care, education, housing, and so much more head on. We have made meaningful progress—closing the school funding gap, expanding health care to one million people, and lowering costs of child care, pre-K, housing, and job training—but we still have more to do. Our mission is to keep striving and working together to deliver real change that makes a difference in people’s lives and build a just, equitable Michigan for all.”  

“Since its founding, the Detroit NAACP has been an integral part of campaigns for social justice and human rights,” said Lt. Governor Galin Gilchrist II. “Since we took office, members of the NAACP have been active members of several different task forces aimed at ending racial disparities in health care, education, housing, and opportunity. Michigan is a place where anyone—no matter who you love, how you identify, or the color of your skin—can prosper.” 

June 23, 2023, marks 60 years since this important event in our nation’s history and reinforces the struggle for equality, freedom, and unity for all Americans.  

“The June Jubilee serves as a reminder to the nation that the work of Dr. King is not yet complete,” said Rev. Wendell Anthony, President NAACP, Detroit Branch. “We must not leave him on the mountain top dreaming but bring him back down into the valley where we can be seen working. This historic occasion is for all the people who believe that an injustice to anyone, any where is a threat to justice everywhere. Dr. King believed this and so do we. You may not have been there in 1963, 1993, 2003, or 2013, but you can be there in 2023 and be on the scene for freedom, civil rights, and human dignity. This is our time.”  

The Detroit Branch of the NAACP has been a tireless advocate for civil rights, justice, and equality, for over a century, playing a crucial role in promoting social justice and empowering marginalized communities. Their efforts to reaffirm the mission of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to create a just and inclusive society, where every individual is treated with dignity and respect is an admirable contribution to our state. 

View the full proclamation here.  

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