The Unified Civic Monuments Project (UCMP) will host a Unity Walk from Dwight Pete Mitchell City Center Park in Benton Harbor to Margaret B. Upton Arboretum in St. Joseph, the sites of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. monuments scheduled to be unveiled next summer
The Unity Walk will be held on Sunday, May 21, from 3 to 5 p.m. and will begin and end at City Center Park in downtown Benton Harbor. The May walk is the first in a series that will be held every third Sunday throughout the summer. Light refreshments will be provided. There will be a limited return shuttle available back to Benton Harbor from St. Joseph.
Al Mussman of Zoy! Adventures is co-hosting the Unity Walk. “There’s nothing like getting out and being active together to build connections and understanding. Those connections are the heart of the Monuments Project.”
The UCMP also announced this week donations from Zoy! Adventures and Honor Credit Union, as well as a grant from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council.
Zoy! Adventures supports local organizations that support children’s programs, health and wellness, and the under-represented. They have pledged $19,630 to the project in reference to the 1963 March on Washington and occasion of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
Honor Credit Union donated $5,000. Matt Ascolese, Regional Manager for Honor’s Shoreline Region, said, “Honor is pleased to support local organizations making a difference in the communities we serve. The monuments to Dr. King will be a source of pride we can all share in.”
The UCMP was awarded a Community Partners Grant of $16,000 from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council. This competitive program is awarded to projects that strengthen communities and work collaboratively to explore culture and heritage through art.
UCMP has raised 63% of its $850,000 goal to design and install monuments honoring Dr. King in Benton Harbor and St. Joseph. The designs have been approved and can be viewed online.
“Giving is heading towards the finish line in funding – we have climbed one side of the mountain. Together, we have reached the top and are now well on our way down the other side!” said project co-founder Sharon Brown.
Contributions to help bring this campaign to completion may be made through the UCMP website or through partner Berrien Community Foundation.
Unified Civic Monument Project
The Unified Civic Monuments Project is led by the founders of the African American History & Literature Gallery, with the support of Krasl Art Center, Lake Michigan College, Berrien Community Foundation, the BH-SJ Arts & Culture Social Justice Group, and the cities of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph.
Benton Harbor-St. Joseph Arts & Culture Social Justice Group
The Benton Harbor – St. Joseph Arts & Culture Social Justice Group stands in solidarity with community-wide efforts supporting, advocating and promoting social justice within the cities of Benton Harbor & St. Joseph, Michigan. It is our commitment as cultural institutions and individuals to utilize our unique resources to support this work – this may include special programs, space use, materials and expertise.
We interpret social justice to mean that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social justice rights and opportunities.
Committee Co-Chairs:
Mayor Laura Goos, St. Joseph
Commissioner Edward Isom, Benton Harbor