In Boca Raton, a crowd gathered Monday to celebrate Dr. Marin Luther King Jr.'s legacy.
Speakers talked about the strides they've made achieving King's dream, but stressed there is still work to do.
One speaker compared racism to asbestos. Saying both were embedded in our structures, then discovered to be harmful, and are now hard to remove.
The ceremony was held at the MLK memorial in Pearl City, Boca Raton's historic African-American district.
Organizers highlighted work FAU students, Habitat for Humanity, and community groups have done to improve the neighborhood.
Allen Willis was given an award for his dedication to Pearl City, where he was born and raised.
"Positive strength and positive love that came out of the community was shared with other people. To see that come back into the community from other people, that's the blessing we've been having," he explains.
Mario Lopez, the president of FAU's NAACP chapter, volunteers in Peal City. He says the support he sees in the community reassures him its worth dedicating time and resources to the area.
"It's truly a blessing to be here, to be in Pearl City, to be around people with such warm and loving spirits. It encourages me to continue to push forward with my education and endeavors because people want me to succeed as mush as I want to succeed," Lopez points out.
After this morning's ceremony, the crowd marched down Federal Highway to Sanborn Square downtown to continue the celebration.