SPOKANE, Wash. — Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Spokane on Monday to honor the life of Civil Rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.
The annual MLK Day Unity Rally began at 10 a.m. at the Spokane Convention Center and was followed by a march through downtown.
City of Spokane elected officials and employees will take part in the event.
Mayor Nadine Woodward presented a proclamation at the rally declaring Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Day in Spokane.
“Let’s continue to stand alongside our neighbors, our families our citizens who still face prejudice," she said.
Woodward also addressed the importance of King's legacy in our world and local community.
“We believe in equality. We believe in unity," Woodward said of those in attendance at the rally.
“We know here in our city that we are not immune to racism, and we must continue to stress that our community will not tolerate division," she added.
"Today's not a day off, it's a day of service. And everyday is a day of service. Dr. King and everybody who has fought for civil rights, who've worked towards what he's done, and his dreams and his mission that he paved the way for everybody. It's not a dream that's died, it's a dream that's continued, it's a dream that everybody is still dreaming about. Something that has manifested into something like today," one person at the rally said.
A resource fair at the Convention Center was also held Monday.
Hundreds of people attended last year’s march as it made its way through downtown Spokane.
Several rallies over the weekend preceded the MLK Day Unity Rally and March.
Despite the snow, hundreds of people gathered in downtown Spokane on Saturday for the fourth annual Women’s March and the Fifth Annual Walk for Life Northwest.