Vivian D. McLaughlin, Detroit resident who filmed MLK Jr. march, dies at 105
Vivian D. McLaughlin, a business owner, teacher and 95-year resident of Detroit who filmed the 1963 “Walk to Freedom” march led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., has died.
She was 105.
McLaughlin died Jan. 6 after an extended illness at her home in Detroit's Boston-Edison Historic District, where she had lived for 73 years, her nephew, Adrian Ponder, said Sunday. Services were held Monday at Swanson Funeral Home in Detroit.
Ponder described his aunt as a “pillar of the community,” while pointing to the Detroit businesses she operated with her husband, Edward Jacob McLaughlin, who died in 1969 after 26 years of marriage.
“Their photography studio was at 9242 Grand River right next door to the (Grand) Riviera Theater and they also owned two cleaners on Linwood and Oakland,” said Ponder, a retired Detroit police officer.
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McLaughlin was born Nov. 6, 1916, the youngest of 10 children born to Sarah (Sallie) and Opha Duncan in Golconda, Illinois. Ponder explained that the same artistry and creativity his aunt displayed using a camera also could be seen in her expert needlework, quilting and sewing, which he said she taught at Detroit schools and recreation centers.
Ponder shared a photograph with the Free Press showing his aunt with Rosa Parks. While he was unsure when the photo was taken, Ponder said the image was an example of the community work his aunt performed, which included participating in improvement plans for Virginia Park developments and the 12th Street Cooperative.
Ponder recently learned that his aunt, along with other members of the Flicker Camera Club, were on hand to film the “Walk to Freedom'' march. At that event, King delivered an early version of his “I Have A Dream” speech to more than 125,000 people who marched down Woodward Avenue on June 23, 1963.
“I didn’t even learn about my aunt filming the march until after my aunt passed and someone paying their respects made that known online,” Ponder said. “It’s amazing everything that she did and it makes me feel good to learn more about her history now.”
Services for McLaughlin will be held today at the Swanson Funeral Home location at 14571 West McNichols. Visitation and viewing will take place from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The funeral service will begin at 1 p.m. Interment will be in Evergreen Cemetery at 19807 Woodward. The funeral service also can be viewed live by visiting the Swanson Funeral Home website or YouTube.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Vivian D. McLaughlin, who filmed MLK Jr. march, dies at 105
