JOINT LEWIS BASE MCCHORD, Wash. - In the 42 years since a single shot took the life of one of the most prominent civil rights leaders in history, people around the world continue to gather together to remember his legacy; Jan. 13 was no different.

“We are not here to mourn the passing of [Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.], but to celebrate his life,” said Col. Barry F. Huggins, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) commander. “We are here to reconnect ourselves to his legacy.”

The celebration, hosted by 2nd Bde., 2nd Inf. Div., drew over 600 people to the American Lake Club on Lewis North.

After opening remarks and the national anthem, guests were brought back in time as Sgt. Shelvin Jackson Jr., I Corps Special Troops Battalion, recited the legendary 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech. The speech, originally delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, has been considered by some as the pivotal point in the Civil Rights movement.

The event featured a number of educational exhibits that illustrated the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and how the civil rights movement has changed the face of today’s military. One of the most popular displays feature a brief history of the Tuskegee Airmen presented by Tommie Lamb, the president of the Sam Bruce Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, who was present to answer questions during the event.

Chaplain Paul H. Wilson, Sr., a local pastor and retired United States Marine Corps sniper, served as the guest speaker for the event. Wilson told the audience about the life Martin Luther King, Jr., led before becoming the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., people know today. Wilson related his struggles as an African-American man growing up during a time of segregation to those King faced in his effort for racial justice and equality.

“I, Paul Wilson, on the one hand, would feel a sense of somebodiness [sic]. But on the other hand, I had to go out and face the system which stared me in the face every day, saying ‘You are less than. You are not equal to.’ So this was real tension within.”

It was this feeling, Wilson said, that was shared between African Americans who wanted more for themselves and their brothers and sisters, adding it was the same thing King spoke of in his “I Have a Dream Speech.”

In the year following this speech, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. King’s dream of a day “when all of God's children—black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics—will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual ‘Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!’" was one step closer to being a reality, Wilson proclaimed.

The event concluded with a gospel set preformed by the MLK Tribute Duet, comprised of Tony Easterly and Toyin Adekale.

“As I stand here today, in this place before you people and tell of the joy and excitement and to share with you the [inspiration], the dream lives on today,” said Wilson.

“While there has been much progress towards achieving Dr. King’s far reaching ideals for our nation, our struggle must continue. For each generation to hear Dr. King’s hopeful words should be duty bound to apprise each new generation of its value and importance to our future.”