CRESTVIEW — Nearly 30 residents marched in honor of late civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Saturday morning, culminating in a ceremony at the Okaloosa County Veterans Memorial.
For Crestview natives such as Annie Lewis Wright and Daniel Hart, the events reflected many changes they have seen in their hometown.
“I grew up here in the ‘60s,” Hart said. “I remember going to the Fox Theater and the blacks had to sit up in the top (balcony). And there was black and white water fountains.”
Wright said King’s works have meaning if people strive to attain them all year long.
“It’s good if you keep it up,” she said. “But sometimes you have the one big day and that’s it.”
The march and ceremony, themed “My Life Matters” this year, is annually organized by the Concerned Citizens group. Master of ceremonies, Carver-Hill Memorial and Historical Society President David Wheeler, echoed Wright’s sentiments.
“We pause in our daily lives to remember the life and accomplishments of Dr. King,” he said. “This is a day on, not a day off.”
Nearly 50 people attended the ceremony, during which Crestview Mayor David Cadle proclaimed a “Day of Celebration and Remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King in the city of Crestview” and encouraged residents to “honor his legacy by being of service to others.”
The Rev. Darryl Hooks of Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church was guest speaker.
“We should not take this moment lightly,” Hooks said. “Dr. King effected change. What change will you effect in 2016?
“Everything the civil rights movement stood for in the 1960s, we are the recipients of the blessing. But there is still work to be done.”
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview residents celebrate Martin Luther King's legacy (VIDEO)