Source: Native News Network
ATLANTA – Fifty years after to the date and time of day Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, people across America are asked to ring bells and American Indian drums are asked to sound on to “let freedom ring.’
Church bells will sound across America. Hand held bells will be rung.
“I think it would be nice to have American Indian drum groups to participate to show support,”
commented Melissa Claramunt, American Indian specialist and Civil Rights specialist at Michigan Department of Civil Rights.
The Michigan Department of Civil Rights encourages you to take part in (or organize!) Let Freedom Ring! celebrations all across the state (and country) on that day – in schools, churches, mosques, universities, anywhere there’s a bell or carillon – or drum.
This is a unique opportunity to be part of history. Ring a bell on August 28 and honor Dr. King and his enduring message of freedom, justice, and equality. To learn more, visit facebook.com/midcr and www.mlkdream50.com.
Yesterday, thousands were in the nation’s capital to honor the memory of Dr. King and the historic March on Washington in the “Realize the Dream” March and Rally.
Part of the thousands was a group representing the National Congress of American Indians.
“We marched on behalf of the National Congress of American Indians and along with the Leadership Conference. We marched for voting rights and to support better adoption practices for our Native kids,”
commented Derrick Beetso, a staff attorney with the National Congress of American Indians, the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country.