Hundreds honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at MLK park

COLUMBIA,SC (WOLO)-Today people in the Midlands paused to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Hundreds of people came out to MLK park to celebrate his life and legacy.

“This serves as an inspiration to ordinary people like you and me to recognize that we all have something to contribute, and if we do, we can make the world better for all of us,” Mayor Steve Benjamin said.

For 31 years the City of Columbia and the Martin Luther King Jr Foundation joined forces to honor the man who was assassinated while fighting for civil rights.

A ceremony was held at a park that was once restricted to whites only, now dedicated to the legacy and memory of America’s most celebrated civil rights leader.

“He rose the challenge and brought leadership in not only a national level but a global level,” Benjamin said.

Local and city leaders spoke about Dr.kings words and actions, and how they can still be applied today.

“If we want to find peace then we need to understand that what impacts one of us impacts us all,” Kassy Alia, Keynote speaker said. “That was the message finding the courage to be able to understand one another more deeply and openly.”

“We have a lot of hope for the future to see that everybody can put aside their differences and come out and celebrate Dr.King,” Shireese Bell, with Columbia City Parks and Rec said.

The city host food drives and gives scholarships in Dr.Kings honor in hopes to inspire the next generation.

“We provide a lot of activities for our youth the grow and challenge them,” Bell said.

“We have wonderful people in this community and across the world who have that same ability,” Benjamin said.