Pleasant Grove Baptist Church celebrates MLK day

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND)-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr had a dream to make the world a better place.

"King was a nonviolent protest, a nonviolent lifestyle… he would also be against the acts of black on black gun violence that rages through our communities…king's dream was for the children," said Dr. Kamai, a retired African American studies professor with the University of Springfield.

On Monday, people gathered at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church to commemorate King's achievements and his vision for peace instead of violence.

"I feel like he was saying, make some decisions for your community, for your families that leave a legacy of love and peace and respect," said the Transformational Justice Community Leader of the Massey Commission, Margaritta Folts.

They drew motivation from his unwavering determination to persist, regardless of the challenges or difficulties he encountered.

"Sometimes you can feel defeated, but that's the point.. Dr. Martin Luther King, he's had setbacks. He's been told to wait. But we can't go on with this current congress, can you wait? And he said no, we're going to get there. We're going to keep speaking up. We're going to do what we need to do," said the Commission's Commissioner, Calvin Christian.

61 years later, his words still hold meaning in communities all across the country.