Lafourche NAACP President Burnell Tolbert said he was at school when Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed, and everyone in the classroom cried at the news.
Tolbert said he'd heard a lot about King's mission and achievements from his grandparents, who raised him.
During a march in Chicago, King was hit in the head with a rock and fell to one knee. He got up again and continued marching.
"It makes you wonder, hearing these things and reading about them, what kind of man was Dr. King?" Tolbert said. "He had to be a godly man. ... He made a lot of accomplishments for us, but it wasn't easy."
The NAACP held a march Monday in Thibodaux to honor King on what would have been the civil rights activist's 89th birthday.
Keva Landrum-Johnson, chief judge for Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, was the guest speaker at a program held at St. Luke Community Center after the march.
Landrum-Johnson is the first black woman to serve as the court's chief judge.
She said King's legacy serves as a reminder of the obligation to strive against violence, racism, inequality and bullying.
"From his fight for integration to his advocacy and support of nonviolent protests, and from the March on Washington to his profound sermons and speeches, Dr. King was a relentless civil rights leader who became a martyr for the freedom we enjoy today," she said. "Whether we are fighting for equity in criminal justice, education or the workplace, change will only happen when each of us is actively involved."
Labadieville resident Kirby Fair and his wife represented Leaders of Our Community and Brothers of Leaders of Our Community at the event. The youth organizations' goals include academic and spiritual growth.
Fair said he marched to keep King's vision of equality alive.
"We march not just for the black community but for all to have the same treatment," he said. "The message was put forward for the black community, but at the end of the day, Jesus Christ came and died for us all. ... We all know racism still exists. We just have to keep on pushing forward, keep the message going, keep on doing our part. When you do your part, you can create change."
Thibodaux resident Donald Brooks and his wife also participated in the celebration.
Brooks said over the years, he's seen more people abandon racism and embrace unity and love.
"If we could get past the exterior and look at the inner heart of the man, we'd realize that all of us together are one," he said. "Then we could go forward, develop characters that God would have us develop and do the things that are right in our communities for those young ones that are coming up behind us. ... The struggle isn't over, but at least we're making strides."
-- Staff Writer Bridget Mire can be reached at 448-7639 or bridget.mire@dailycomet.com. Follow her on Twitter @bridget_mire.