Hi, I'm Zoe Waldman, and yesterday I got to march in Detroit's 14th Annual Rally and March for Jobs, Peace, and Justice along with many others from DJJ. The truest marker of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s ongoing importance is in the relevance his words of wisdom throughout today's America. This morning, Nicole Hill of Flint spoke of life without water. Joan and Joe Jacobs talked of their indigenous struggle at Standing Rock. Elena Herrada established a fight for a stronger education system in Detroit. These issues that tackle the oppressed beg for MLK's words that there is “a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.” As the Deep River Choir sent us out of the Central Methodist Church and into the streets of Detroit to begin our march, another MLK quote, spoken by the emcee, Abayomi Azikiwe, resonated within the room: "the time to do right is always right." And with that, we all grabbed a sign, motivated to make a difference for the maltreated within our community.

Zoe Waldman is a senior in high school in Dayton, Ohio. Zoe found out about DJJ's work in social, racial, and economic justice through her grandpa, who lives in Detroit. Zoe is excited to volunteer with the organization, and to see what she could do to help.