Grant to help Detroit church with rich civil rights history

DETROIT – A Detroit church that served as a popular venue for national civil rights leaders, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, is getting a grant for needed renovations.

The National Park Service has awarded the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office $500,000 for King Solomon Baptist Church. Work includes rehabilitating the roof and preparing construction drawings.

The church built in 1917 for a white congregation was bought in 1955 by an African American congregation. King spoke twice at King Solomon, and Malcolm X gave his “Message to the Grassroots” speech there in 1963.

King Solomon’s pastor, the Rev. Charles Williams II, says the goal “is to continue the church’s tradition of empowerment, education and research.”

The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.