DETROIT � Two major local civil rights organizations have chosen to honor Wayne County Sheriff Warren C. Evans during this year�s observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.�s Birthday.

Evans

On Sunday, January 20, the Michigan Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLS) will present Evans with its top honor, the Robert Millender Award, in recognition of his significant accomplishments as sheriff.  The event will take place at 4:00 p.m. at the Detroit Marriott Hotel located inside the Renaissance Center.  The SCLC is an American civil rights organization that played a prominent role in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s and was closely associated with Dr. King, who was its first president. On Monday, January 21, which is this year’s observance of Dr. King’s birthday, Evans will be the keynote speaker at the Livonia Human Relations Commission’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration Program.  The event also is being sponsored by the Livonia Arts Commission and the People of Livonia Addressing Issues of Diversity (PLAID).  The topic of Evans’ speech will be “Respect and Dignity: A Pathway to Social Justice.”  The event will be held from 6:30 � 8:00 p.m. at the Livonia City Hall Auditorium (33000 Civic Center Drive). “I am honored that both of these fine organizations have seen fit to ask me to play such an important role in commemorating the life and legacy of one of our nation’s greatest civil rights leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” Evans said. “From my position in law enforcement, I see all too clearly every day the tremendous need for social justice and equality and the work that still must be done to make Dr. King’s dream a reality.”