A cherished civil rights activist, best known for continuing his iconic family legacy of blending grassroots advocacy work with politics, Horace Sheffield III did not simply choose activism—he was born into it.

The son of legendary labor, civil rights, and community leader Horace Sheffield Jr., who rallied black auto workers together under the United Automobile Workers (UAW), Horace Sheffield III grew up watching dignity and equality being fought for on the factory floor just as much as on the streets.

Not only did he get an up-close and personal view of power dynamics during this time, but he also marched alongside his legendary father and developed a taste for protest long before he ever worked a crowd.

That said, Horace did not just pick up where his father left off.

He brought a modern voice to Detroit’s generational battles around housing, education, jobs, and criminal justice, especially as the senior pastor of New Destiny Christian Fellowship Church, where his Sunday sermons intersected with his weekday strategies.

A man who viewed faith as a call to action, Horace Sheffield III never aimed to separate the gospel from his social justice and civil rights work.

Quite the contrary, he viewed it as one and the same, with his church becoming not just a sanctuary to take in God’s word, but a gathering spot for everything from food distribution to community town hall meetings to anti-violence initiatives and voter registration drives.

Service work runs in the Sheffield family.

His daughter, Mary Sheffield, is the current President of the Detroit City Council, continuing her family’s long-standing tradition of public service and grassroots politics.

Together, she and her father represent a powerful political lineage rooted not in nepotism, but in purpose: minimizing struggle, shaping community, and fostering accountability.

Horace Sheffield Jr. also carried the torch of Black leadership forward as Executive Director of the Detroit Association of Black Organizations (DABO).

He has a strong understanding of power at every level of the pyramid, from street activism to boardrooms.

Standing strong through decades of radical change and shifting politics, he has worked with neighborhood leaders, lawmakers, unions, and national figures, putting in hard work to address systemic inequality in Detroit.

This work included youth mentoring, public health outreach, ex-offender support, and small business assistance, resting on the belief that Detroit’s problems were only capable of being solved with actual Detroiters leading the charge.

Not a man who has ever feared the spotlight, Horace Sheffield III then stepped onto center stage as host of “The Wake-Up Call” on 910 AM Superstation, along with other platforms, using the radio as a modern-day pulpit to uplift community voices and shine a light on corruption, including corrupt officials, with a delivery style that was both grounded yet blunt.

That said, Horace never yearned for Washington fame.

He has always stayed local to Detroit, working the same neighborhood and fighting the same power structures his father had.

He believes real change does not come from above, but from within.

His loyalty has always been to the people most at risk: the undercounted, over-policed, and the underestimated.

His work spans decades, but his mission has never changed: to make Detroit more humane, so that the voices that are too often ignored can finally be heard.

In short, he’s not just a pastor or activist. He’s Detroit’s connective tissue—bridging generations, races, and power structures, all while keeping one foot in the pulpit and the other in the streets.

Victoria Jackson (Editor In Chief)

Victoria Jackson is a lifelong student and sharp-eyed documentarian of all things Detroit, from its rich musical roots and cultural icons to its shifting neighborhoods, storied architecture, and underground legends. With her finger firmly on the pulse of both the city’s vibrant past and its rapidly unfolding future, she brings a deeply personal, historically grounded lens to every piece she writes.

Published on: September 24, 2025