The city of Starkville celebrated and remembered Martin Luther King Jr. through many events, honoring his contributions to civil rights in America.
The day began with the 24th annual Unity Breakfast hosted by Mississippi State University.
The event began the MLK Day of Service, where members of the community volunteered to help different organizations in the city.
The keynote speaker for the Unity Breakfast was retired Mississippi House District 38 Rep. Tyrone Ellis, D-Starkville. Ellis said residents attended to celebrate the life and birthday of MLK, who had the vision to help save America from itself, and the dream to know what is needed to achieve his vision.
"Even the cost of his own life," Ellis said.
While addressing the crowd, Ellis said his favorite quote from MLK is the idea everyone can be great because everyone can serve.
He said people need to live up to the responsibility of the dream and not just talk about it.
"It's astounding to me where people can quote the dream, but they can’t do anything the dream says you should be doing," Ellis said. "It carries a responsibility with it, you can't just talk about it, you've got to do something about it."
Ellis said it is important to remember, recall and to reflect on experiences of yesterday, today and tomorrow. He said it is up to the public to use the gifts God gave each individual to fulfill the dream of MLK.
"We must change the narrative," Ellis said. "We must become change agents."
FREEDOM MARCH
Executive board member of the Oktibbeha County NAACP chapter Lena Smith said she was participating in the freedom march because MLK believed strongly in his mission of unity.
"He practically gave his life for all of us to try to get united," Smith said. "Not just for black, not just for white."
She said with all of the sacrifices he made to help advance social justice, it is important to march so people will remember what he did for the United States.
"He left his legacy and so we are trying to carry it on," Smith said.
Smith said she thinks about what her parents have experienced and given up for minorities to be at the point they are now.
She said it's another legacy she never wants to be forgotten.
"It's just a new beginning," Smith said. "Each year to me is a different beginning."
Joshua Banks, 20, said he is happy to participate in the march because it gives him the opportunity to appreciate what other people have done for him.
"I always want to remember what people have done for me," Banks said. "I'm just glad to be a part of it."
NAACP President Chris Taylor said with the amount of young people and number of residents, it shows people will not forget where they came from.
"We still march today so that the young people will understand the bloody past," Taylor said. "We don't want that to happen now."