Staff Reporter

staffreporter@alltel.net

April 4, 1968 was a day much remembered by those who were alive when an assassin's bullet took the life of one of America's most revered civil rights leaders. The bullet took the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but his dream lives on in the minds of millions of Americans thirty-eight years after his death.

Every January, citizens from Hazard and surrounding communities, of all races, gather at city hall on Main Street to march in honor and remembrance of the message and legacy King left behind. A message that everyone can live in harmony despite the color of their skin. A legacy that is unparalleled by any other civil rights leader to date.

Celebrating the life and message of Dr. King is an annual event in Hazard. A program was held at Hazard Community and Technical College Monday morning which celebrated his life.

Four religious leaders throughout the community led the crowd in prayer and David Olinger, a Hazard native who currently serves as assistant US attorney, was the keynote speaker.

Immediately after the program at HCTC, community members marched on Main Street for the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade, uniting different races as they held hands and sang, walking Main Street Hazard and Memorial Drive before ending at city hall. The parade illustrated the best in man, and indeed that Dr. King's message has neither been lost or forgotten in the years since his death.