Stevie Wonder to sing at anniversary event to mark Detroit riots
Date: Saturday, June 10 @ 00:00:00 UTC
Topic: Black Habits Articles


DETROIT (AP) - Stevie Wonder will sing at the city's Ford Field stadium as part of a 40-day observance of the 40th anniversary of Detroit's deadly 1967 riots, the Detroit News reported Friday.

The observance will remember the five days of rioting in 1967 that killed 43 people, injured hundreds and marked a key juncture in Detroit's five-decade decline from an industrial giant of about two million to an impoverished city of about 900,000.

Wonder's concert is scheduled for July 27, 2007, the newspaper reported.

"It's much more than an event," said Russ Russell from the Salvation Army of Southeastern Michigan, which is among the groups organizing the observance. "It's about a place in time where we can turn riots into redemption."

The riots accelerated white suburban flight from what then was a majority white city. Today, about 80 per cent of Detroit residents are black.

Gospel singer Kirk Franklin also has committed to perform and organizers told the News they were working to get other big-name entertainers





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