Photo Courtesy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Task Force, Inc. 

Associated Press

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (AP) _ The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Task Force in Southfield is sending about 40 middle and high school students to civil rights sites.

The 2018 Freedom Ride in August will make stops at historical sites in Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and Washington, D.C. Corporate and individual donations are being sought to offset the cost to students.

The Freedom Ride is open to students with grade point averages of 2.0 or higher. Participants complete an application, provide a letter of recommendation and write a 100-word essay on “What freedom means to me and why I should be selected to participate in the `Freedom Ride.”’

The suburban Detroit task force is a volunteer, grassroots civic organization focused on communicating the importance of celebrating the King holiday with the local community.