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Celebration of Life - John James Conyers Jr.

Today in Detroit, we celebrate the life and legacy of our friend, advocate, fellow DPS alum, and long-time congressman John James Conyers Jr. Mr. Conyers was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as a U.S. Representative for Detroit from 1965 to 2017.

Conyers was born in Highland Park, Michigan, and grew up in Detroit. Mr. Conyers graduated from Detroit Public Schools’ Northwestern High School. He earned two degrees from Wayne State University and became a lawyer. Mr. Conyers served more than 50 years in Congress, becoming the longest serving African American member of Congress. During his early life, Mr. Conyers served in the military and was active in the civil rights movement. He co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus in 1969. The Caucus was founded to strengthen African-American lawmakers' ability to address the legislative concerns of Black and minority citizens. He also sponsored the bill to establish Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday.

Mr. Conyers funeral is today. At 11:00 a.m., all DPSCD Schools and Offices will take a moment of silence to reflect on his service and to consider how each of us might one day leave a lasting legacy on Detroit, our nation, and our world.