Post by david g. on Jun 9, 2006 11:34:53 GMT -5
Stevie Wonder booked for riot anniversary
DETROIT - Stevie Wonder will sing at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions football team, as part of a 40-day observance of the 40th anniversary of Detroit's deadly 1967 riots.
"We've had enough. We've seen enough. It's time for change," Michael Fezzey, co-chair of the group planning the July 27, 2007, concert, told The Detroit News for a story published Friday. "The systems and structures in place aren't enough. What needs to happen is a change of heart. This is about making systematic change in our communities."
Gospel singer Kirk Franklin has also committed to perform, and organizers said they were seeking other big-name entertainers.
Five days of rioting in 1967 killed 43 people, injured hundreds and marked a key juncture in Detroit's five-decade decline from an industrial giant of about 2 million people to an impoverished city of about 900,000.
The riots accelerated white suburban flight from what then was a majority white city. Today, about 80 percent of Detroit residents are black.
___
On the Net:
www.steviewonder.net/
DETROIT - Stevie Wonder will sing at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions football team, as part of a 40-day observance of the 40th anniversary of Detroit's deadly 1967 riots.
"We've had enough. We've seen enough. It's time for change," Michael Fezzey, co-chair of the group planning the July 27, 2007, concert, told The Detroit News for a story published Friday. "The systems and structures in place aren't enough. What needs to happen is a change of heart. This is about making systematic change in our communities."
Gospel singer Kirk Franklin has also committed to perform, and organizers said they were seeking other big-name entertainers.
Five days of rioting in 1967 killed 43 people, injured hundreds and marked a key juncture in Detroit's five-decade decline from an industrial giant of about 2 million people to an impoverished city of about 900,000.
The riots accelerated white suburban flight from what then was a majority white city. Today, about 80 percent of Detroit residents are black.
___
On the Net:
www.steviewonder.net/