Obamas perform double duty on King Day

Dr. C.O. Simpkins was a good friend of King, and together, they founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

People braved the cold weather Monday afternoon to remember and honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Every year on the third Monday of January people celebrate and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “And so this is a way to bring this out for everybody to enjoy and to think about what it means as Americans, a diverse country, a diverse city”, says NAACP Publicity Chair Wes Reeves.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Jones has been working for West Point’s MLK Day celebration for 20 years. Look how far we have come. “There are a lot of statistics and things that make us all upset”. “The confederate flag is down”, said Ware.

“I’m just glad that we’re keeping him in mind and in our hearts and as a Nation taking the day to honor him”, said Kimberly James.

About 1000 people gathered at the South Carolina Statehouse, drawn in part by appearances by all three main Democratic presidential candidates – former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley.

Because of high tensions, when Civil Rights leaders including King came to speak at Tougaloo, they weren’t allowed to stay in the hotels, so her parents welcomed him into their home.

‘We still have more to fight for.

Hundreds of people marched from the Frank Johnson Recreation Center on Pio Nono Avenue, all the way to downtown Macon where they joined other marchers at the Macon-Bibb Government Center.

“This special day reminds people what we are fighting for and to continue fighting,”said Saturday Academy Program Volunteer Raushaun Michael”.

Event-goers all agreed one way to cut down on the violence in our neighborhoods is to keep the community coming together the way they did for this multicultural celebration. Some are concerned progress could be undone. Following the massacre at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Gov. Nikki Haley reversed course and made it a priority for lawmakers to pass legislation to remove the flag.