LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On Sunday night the Saint Mark Baptist Church in Little Rock held its annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Service to honor the legacy that he left behind.
"We're so excited to have a chance today to worship together, to celebrate together, and to remember Dr. King's sacrifice. To create equity and equality around our nation,” said Senior Pastor Phillip L. Pointer.
Everyone who was in attendance at Saint Mark had one common goal of spreading Dr. King's message of love, peace, justice, freedom, and unity.
"Dr.King inspired millions with these powerful words and unwavering determination. His dream of a world where individuals are judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character continues to resonate with people around the globe," said a member of the MLK commission.
Local childcare provider, Vicky Tate, explained how she uses Dr. King's message of unity in her daily routine. She shares that information with others and teaches them to treat everyone the same.
"No matter the color of our skin, black, white, Hispanic, we're all able to go to the same school. [Be] treated the same way and treated fairly. That's what Dr. Martin Luther King stood for. That's important, and that's what I teach my children on a daily basis as a childcare provider," Tate described.
Other attendees like Edmetha James explained how they used the event as a way to get a message across of how we're stronger in numbers when we all work together.
"If we have one voice, one sound, and we are united then as a city, we're able to show that. Hey, if Little Rock can do it, then all the other cities can do it and it will spread throughout the state of Arkansas," James explained.
Pointer said Sunday's service was an opportunity to continue Dr. King's fight for justice.
"To ensure everyone has the kind of access to resources, access to justice, and access to all that God has given all of us as a part of the human family," Pointer added.
Though we've come so far, James said we still have a lot to go to achieve Dr. King's ultimate goal.
"[I hope] that they take away how much Dr. King meant to our society, and how much he did in his short span of life. Also how much we still have to do. The work still continues, we have to continue the work, it never ends," James described.