NAACP Holds Forum Against Hate

DETROIT (WWJ) - It's a big gathering in Detroit Saturday aimed at stamping out hate. The town hall meeting is being put on by the NAACP at the city's UAW- GM Human Resources center.

NAACP Detroit branch president Reverend Wendell Anthony invited all members from diverse communities to gather and support a central cause.

"We're bringing people from the Muslim community, the Native American community, the gay and lesbian community, the African-American community, the Jewish community... all to come together to address this most unfortunate and unredeemable situation," Anthony said.

Anthony said with Terry Jones bringing what he calls his "message of hate" to metro Detroit, the forum is timely.

"Hate talk, hate radio, hate tv is up since January 20, 2008. I wonder why that is? Maybe it's because Barack Obama is the President. They say that threats against the presidency have increased by four times," Anthony said.

Fighting against hate is not the only thing happening at Saturday's gathering. The civil rights organization will also honor some very special people.

"Janona Clayton turned a grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan around in 1968. She made him take off his robe and put on a suit, and he denounced the clan. That's the kind of lady that Janona Clayton is. So I would say, were it not for the alliance of John Lewis and Janona Clayton, I wouldn't be sitting here as president of NAACP," Anthony said.

Speaking of Lewis, Anthony said: "He was the youngest person to speak at the March in 1963 with Dr. King. John Lewis has been arrested over 40 times. He's now a congressman from the state of Georgia and city of Atlanta. He is somebody that our young people need to touch, feel, hear and know."

The forum takes place at 2:00 pm at the UAW-GM Human Resources center on Detroit's Riverfront.