Video: Dream 365 Winners Recognized at King Day Breakfast

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. transformed America and on Monday, the King national holiday, the city of Columbus came out to honor the civil rights activist and his legacy. Local students took part in the celebration, demonstrating the impact Dr. King has had on their lives.

“It makes me feel proud, excited. He helped us share and then helped us be together after all he went through,” says Madisyn Turner, 4th grade Arts winner at Cook Elementary.

Nearly 20 students from the Columbus Municipal School District were awarded at the Dream 365 Breakfast. They wrote essays and created art work reflecting on Dr. King’s work and the impact he’s had on their lives. Ricarrdo Byrd is a senior at Columbus High School and says Dr. King was a great role model.

“He left a great legacy that many black men should follow. Just further your education, try not to be violent especially to one another, because nowadays we do that so much,” says Byrd.

The program also included a fiery keynote speech from Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, the third. Haynes is a pastor and activist from Dallas Texas, who has served for over 25 years. Dream 365 Co-founder Pastor Tony Montgomery says Dr. King’s legacy will continue, if we all do our part to make things better for generations to come.

“We need to advance the laws of our country to make sure that we’re relevant to the moment. That things like the Trayvon Martin incident never happens again. That we don’t have Columbine situations. So there’s still a lot of work to do and I would implore all of us to dream as Dr. King did and to do great things. Each individual can make a difference,” says Montgomery.

Some of the event’s sponsors included the Columbus Arts Council, Urban Radio, MUW & Leo’s Luxury Limos.  This year also marks the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.