Little Caesars founder quietly paid Rosa Parks' rent for years

Authored by www-m.cnn.com and submitted by Dan_ny1003
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Story Highlights Restaurant tycoon Mike Ilitch died on Friday at the age of 87

The Detroit native had paid for Rosa Parks' apartment in a safer area of the city

(CNN) — Those who knew Mike Ilitch, the Little Caesars founder and Detroit Tigers owner who died last Friday , have spent the past few days fondly remembering his impact on friends, on Detroit residents, and on the sports community.

Ilitch also had an impact on the daily life of one of the most iconic figures from the civil rights movement.

For more than a decade, Ilitch had quietly paid for Rosa Parks' apartment in downtown Detroit, according to CNN affiliate WXYZ

That story came to light thanks to Damon Keith, a Detroit native and federal judge

"They don't go around saying it, but I want to, at this point, let them know, how much the Ilitches not only meant to the city, but they meant so much for Rosa Parks, who was the mother of the civil rights movement," Keith told WXYZ.

RGeronimoH on March 15th, 2019 at 04:06 UTC »

I met Mike Illitch a few times while working at Comerica Park. He spoke to everybody and every person just referred to him as Mister. Mister wants something brought to the clubhouse, etc...

The only thing not genuine about that man was his hair!

TimmyCS on March 15th, 2019 at 03:01 UTC »

To do this and then keep it a secret. That’s a whole new level of classy. Good man.

konficker on March 15th, 2019 at 02:54 UTC »

Mike Illitch was an amazing human being and did so much for his community.