NORTHVILLIANS,

• Northville citizens joining the Centenarian “100-year-young” Club (most recently, Mary Ware).
• Government officials reaching out for info/support of our River Restoration & Riverwalk Initiative.
• New board members being sworn in for City committees.
• The City administration presenting their initial Goals & Objectives for the 2021/22 fiscal year.

• MLK Day (as you know) is a national holiday honoring the outstanding achievements of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister who advocated the use of nonviolent means to end racial segregation and relentlessly championed unity & equality.
• Ronald Reagan was President when legislation was passed for this national holiday, which honors Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.  Notably, Detroiter John Conyers (longest-serving African American Legislator in congressional history) first introduced the legislation in 1968, four days after the assassination of Martin Luther King.  After 15 years of persistent support, MLK Day was approved with Ronald Reagan’s signature in 1983.
• Today, it is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer and improve their communities.

• The Gnomes & Snowmen continue to take up residence in town through January thanks to the Northville DDA, Chamber & Art House. Enjoy the hunt as you find them in and around our Social District and throughout Northville. For more info on where to find them, click on the following link: https://northvillearthouse.org/gnomearoundnorthville 

• COVID-19 CONFIRMED CASES: Northville has had 584 cases/9 fatalities, Township 4489/57, Michigan 1.9M/30K, Nation 62M/839K, Global 307M/5.5M. (CDC) * Wayne County Data.

Reflections as they relate to MLK and activism in the Northville Community through time...

• Northville’s Underground Railroad Connection
  • According to a 1927 Record article, “The Ambler Hotel in Northville in the 1800’s was a station on the Underground Railroad assisting black Americans in their flight for freedom.”
  • In addition to the Ambler Hotel, other stations in the Northville area were:  The Cady Inn (still in the area), Starkweather Farm (7 Mile & Beck) and a location where Meads Mill Middle School is today (6 Mile/Northville Road).
     
• John Lewis – Michigan’s last Civil War Vet
  • In the Northville Community area, John Lewis was a storied Black Civil War veteran. According to The Record: "The Lewis family fled the South before the Civil War… and potentially stayed at the Ambler Station on the underground railroad and eventually took up residence on the edge of Northville in Salem.  John Lewis felt compelled to enlist in Pontiac’s first African American division during the Civil War."
  • John Lewis was involved in fighting at Gettysburg and the Lewis family still has a Civil War drum that he used on the battlefield. He was Michigan’s last living Civil War veteran at one time.
     
• Joe Louis (World’s Heavyweight Boxing Champion)
  • Joe Louis (Joseph Louis Barrow) put our town on the map in the 1930’s when he trained on occasion in Northville.  At the time, the town was a nucleus of boxing in the Detroit area, with a private full-time indoor ring in the Village, according to a 1964 Record article.
  • The Brown Bomber (as he was referred to) and Northville Downs came together when the champion boxer was defending his crown for the eighth time (since first winning the title in 1937). The Downs facility was selected as his official training center in preparation for a match in September 1939 against Bob Pastor. Tiger Stadium (Briggs Field) was chosen as the fight venue.
  • At the Downs, a ring was set up in front of the grandstand for workouts. Daily busloads of fans showed up from all over the country to see Joe in action for $1 a day. It was acknowledged that Joe Louis at times stayed at an estate on 8 Mile & Newburgh and also spent time residing at where the Living and Learning Mansion is today.  According to The Record, Northville residents enjoyed seeing Joe running, walking and socializing in town and welcomed him to the community as a Northvillian.
  • Much to Northville’s delight, Joe Louis won the Bob Pastor match with a KO in round 11.
     
• Equality Rallies
  • During 2020, rallies for equality took place in Northville at Ford Field and at City Hall Park, where I was privileged and honored to speak.  The “Black Lives Matter” rally was staged at Ford Field with participants marching through town.  The “One World Family Rally” took place at City Hall Park, and it was here that I signed an oversized agreement called my Brother’s Keeper Proclamation that hangs in City Hall today.  It is a symbol of our commitment to equality of policies and procedures for all in the community.