Dear Distinguished Guest:

We’re grateful to our beloved Judge, the Honorable Damon J. Keith, and we are excited to celebrate his enduring legacy. The Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University Law School and the family of Keith Clerks and Staff would be honored to have you as their guest for the 37th Annual Damon J. Keith Soul Food Luncheon, which will be held on Thursday, February 19, 2026 from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (E.S.T.) at the Theodore Levin Courthouse. 

For more than three decades, the Soul Food Luncheon has been a unique celebration of leadership and achievement recognizing a Detroit leader or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to the African American community, bestowing upon them the coveted Soul and Spirit Humanitarian Award. This year’s celebration continues that tradition by honoring the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network (DBCFSN) as they celebrate their 20th Anniversary.  DBCFSN's mission is "to build self-reliance, food security and justice in Detroit’s Black community by influencing public policy, engaging in urban agriculture, promoting healthy eating, encouraging cooperative buying and directing youth towards careers in food-related fields."

Our esteemed keynote speaker is Detroit native, Professor john powell, Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute at U.C. Berkeley.  We hope you can join us as we celebrate the legacy of the Honorable Damon J. Keith and carry on the longstanding tradition of this mainstay community event!

Please register for the event at LINK by Thursday, February 12, 2026. Note that cameras, cell phones, smartphones, Blackberries and all other electronic devices are not allowed in the Federal Courthouse.

Sincerely,

Peter Hammer, Faculty Director | Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights

Mitra Jafary-Hariri, Keith Clerk, 2012-2013  on behalf of Former Keith Clerks and Staff

  “The unfettered right to vote is the bedrock of a free and democratic society—without it, such a society cannot stand. This right is fundamental. It is the most valuable right a person possesses, because without it, all other rights are meaningless.”
–Judge Damon J. Keith