BRIDGEWATER, Va. (WHSV) – Bridgewater College and town residents gathered Monday to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during their annual community march.

More than 100 students, faculty and town residents assembled at Oakdale Park to remember the civil rights leader and his contributions to American history.

“This is the eighth year that we have planned to do this. Unfortunately, the last couple of years it’s been canceled due to inclement weather, but I’m excited that we get together along with town residents and our students to honor Dr. King’s legacy,” said Keon Nesmith, one of the march’s organizers.

Nesmith said the large turnout demonstrates how much the community respects Dr. King’s legacy and his work.

“A lot of folks who experienced reading Dr. King’s work, whether it was in K-12 or at the collegiate level, and so to be able to kind of put his philosophy into practice, this is a small way that we can do that,” Nesmith said.

For students like Malachi Benjamin, the march carries personal significance.

“MLK is just a wonderful representative for the Black community in general, and everything that he had to say for us and everything that he had to share for us we definitely needed to feel that empowerment and to feel like we could, at least in the Black community, feel like everything can be possible, regardless of whatever restrictions are put on us,” Benjamin said.

The college extended the tribute beyond the holiday with a special on-campus display in the Boyd Room, highlighting Dr. King’s work and philosophy.

“We actually have a display in the Boyd room at the college that kind of highlights some of the works of Dr. King,” Nesmith said.

Nesmith said he and the other organizers plan to continue the march annually to keep Dr. King’s message of unity alive in the community.

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