Hundreds marched in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Hundreds marched along North Tryon Street for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. march and wreath-laying ceremony in Charlotte on Sunday.

One of the speakers at Sunday’s march said it had the highest attendance this particular MLK march has ever seen.

Those who participated and marched from the intersection of Tryon Street and Phifer Avenue in Uptown to Marshall Park said the event honors Dr. King’s legacy, inspires future change, and brings the entire community together.

“It felt amazing to be in the presence of so many people all here for one cause, it’s amazing,” said one attendee.

“It’s our history. It’s everyone’s history. It’s what happened in America,” added another.

“The diversity of this crowd in terms of age and gender and engagement, all these are important efforts that we need to have in our city to make our city a place where everyone feels welcome and treated with respect,” Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said.

“We are marching right through the heart of town, right through the pride and joy of Charlotte, and we’re singing the praises of Dr. King who impacted this community and communities in the South, throughout the South,” another participant said.

Though Sunday’s celebration looked a bit different from prior years, a march and wreath-laying ceremony replacing what was once a large-scale parade, the message is the same.

“Dr. King worked so very hard for justice and change, and so we are out here to march to commemorate his memory and the work that is still left to be done,” added someone who marched in the event.

Related: 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. television special airs Monday on WBTV

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