On this day in 1903, civil rights pioneer Booker T. Washington addressed an enthusiastic audience in Detroit, advocating for unity and greatness. And in 1831, Michigan's oldest continuously published newspaper, the Detroit Free Press, began its journey. Both events mark significant milestones in Michigan's history.
TRANSCRIPT
On May 5, 1903, civil rights pioneer Booker T. Washington addressed an enthusiastic audience at Detroit’s since-demolished Light Guard Armory. In his speech he said “Any race that yields to the temptation of hating another race because of its color weakens and narrows itself…Wherever I can I propose to teach my people to take high ground, to teach them if others would be little we must be great…If others must be mean, we must be good. If others should try to push us down, we must show a broader spirit and help push them up.”
And in 1831, Michigan’s oldest continuously published newspaper, the Detroit Free Press and Michigan Intelligencer, hit the streets. At the time, it was a weekly paper made up of just four pages.