Triangle honors legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
RALEIGH, North Carolina (WTVD) -- Residents around the ABC11 viewing area commemorated the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday.
A number of local celebrations were held to remember the civil rights leader.
One of the largest was the Triangle Interfaith Prayer Breakfast at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in RTP.
The event, put on by the Greater Raleigh Chamber Of Commerce, is in its 37th year and draws hundreds of people in celebration of Dr. King's dream and legacy.
Event organizers said the interfaith breakfast is all about joining together to hear words of "compassion, hope and action, inspired by Dr. King."
Pastor James White, of Christ Our King Community Church in Raleigh served as the keynote speaker.
A prayer breakfast was also held in Fayetteville.
About 1,200 attended the 24th annual event at the Crown Expo Center.
"When you know that you have the opportunity to change something, then if you go out and do it the right way, through Christ, then you know it's right. And that's what what he did means to me," said 14-year-old Rayna Peeples, who came with her church's youth group to celebrate and learn.
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Also on Monday morning, the Raleigh Martin Luther King Celebration Committee held a Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial March in downtown Raleigh.
The event started at 10 a.m. on Edendon Street and lasted until noon.
While Monday was a federal holiday for most, it's also become known as a day of service.
There were several programs and services in Durham and Chapel Hill honoring Dr. King's legacy.
Book Harvest held its Dream Big Book Drive. ABC 11 Together is a proud sponsor of this year's book drive at Durham Central Park.
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Volunteers from North Carolina Central University and the United Way took part in the annual Truth and Service Project.
From 9 a.m. until noon, they worked at the Walker Complex collecting food for the NC Central food pantry, made blankets, and packed up meals for Durham residents.
At Northgate Mall in Durham, a birthday party was thrown to mark Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
MomsRising.org put on the event to talk to kids about justice, service, and the ability of people to work together.
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UNC Chapel Hill also had a full list of events celebrating Dr. King.
A MLK Day of Service 5K race was held at 7:30 a.m. at the Old Well, with money raised to be donated to the Faith Hedgepeth Scholarship, honoring the life of the murdered UNC student.
On Tuesday night, award-winning journalist Soledad O'Brien will deliver the keynote address at UNC's MLK Scholarship and Unsung Hero Awards Ceremony. It takes place at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Hall.
Meanwhile, new North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper spent his first MLK day in office, in Charlotte.
Governor Cooper delivered the opening remarks at the YMCA of Greater Charlotte's MLK Holiday Breakfast at the Nascar Hall of Fame.
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