From the ashes of the 1967 Detroit riots grew an organization dedicated to working toward racial justice for all.
More than 40 years later, the Interfaith Center for Racial Justice continues that work because, despite evidence of progress, the quest for justice is never-ending.
“We haven’t even begun to grapple with the elephant in the room,” said the Rev. Michail Curro, executive director of the center. “We have a long way to go.”
The Interfaith Center began life as a church-driven organization assembled to combat 1960s issues like busing, white flight and the desire for more diversity in southeastern Michigan.
By the time Cindy Melitz took over as center director in the early 1990s, many of those early issues were no longer hot button. But that didn’t change the need for the organization, she said.
“The mission has always been consistent with what the name represents — racial justice,” she said. “How the center fulfilled that mission has been different over the years, given the circumstances of that decade.”
While overt racism is rare today, Melitz suggested, the goals of the center remain unchanged.
“Embracing peaceful ways of helping people adapt and the need for diversity,” she said.
The center is probably best known for its annual Martin Luther King Jr. holiday celebration, which annually packs the Royalty House in Warren.
But the organization also works to foster tolerance and promote diversity the remaining 364 days each year. In recent years, the ICRJ’s “Listen, Learn and Live” initiative has introduced hundreds of residents to a tapestry of cultures and faiths that thrive in Macomb County. A session on Muslims and Islam, for example, has proven especially popular.
Steve Elturk, imam of the Warren-based Islamic Organization of North America and president of the ICRJ Board of Directors, said those who attend the sessions become ambassadors for diversity, spreading the word to family and friends what the various cultures are all about.
This year, the ICRJ celebrates its 40th anniversary in Macomb County. As part of that celebration, St. Blase Catholic Church in Sterling Heights will host Sunday a “Praise Concert” featuring church choirs from around Macomb County.
Among those choirs scheduled to participate include: A capella Men’s Choir from North Broadway Church of Christ, Mount Clemens Gospel Choir, Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, New Haven Hand Bell Choir, Zion United Church of Christ, Mount Clemens, and the combined choirs of St. Blasée, the Hispanic Praise Band, St. Maximillian Kolbe Church, Ray Township, and the Warren Community Chorus.
The concert will serve a dual purpose: to recognize the ICRJ’s anniversary and to raise funds to help the organization continue its work.
“It should be really fun,” Curro said.
The Praise Choir will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at St. Blasée Catholic Church, 12151 15 Mile Road, Sterling Heights. Tickets are $15 for individuals or $25 per family. Tickets are available in advance at St. Blasée Catholic Church or at the door on the day of performance. For more information, call (586) 268-2244 or visit the church’s Website at www.stblase.org.
IONA, 28630 Ryan Rd., Warren, MI 48092 | Tel: 586-558-6900 | E-mail: center@iononline.org
