Local residents honored the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy on Monday in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Participants marched from the Mt. Union Masonic Lodge to the Eupora Post Office, where Mayor Lamar Dumas addressed them. He said King was a submissive, humble servant to God yet was persistent.
“The voice you heard was the voice of God,” Dumas said of the civil rights leader, adding that King wasn’t afraid to die for what he stood for. King was an advocate of non-violent protest and became the youngest man to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He was assassinated in 1968.
Dumas, who is the city’s first black mayor, also said, “Through God everything is possible.” Referring to the city flag beside him, he said its motto should be that for everyone in Eupora: “A City Unified, Working for the Common Good.”
The program concluded with remarks from James Townsend. Organizers Kella Bean and Carolyn Burchfield said they plan to make this an annual event.
