While students in Paso Robles had Monday off in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, many of them gathered to honor the life and legacy of the civil rights leader.
The City of Paso Robles collaborated with the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District to hold a community celebration for MLK Day.
It started with a march at Robbins Field, followed by a program featuring music, dance, speakers, and student performances at Downtown City Park.
Paso Robles High School student Malek Daugherty said the march helped him relate to the civil rights icon.
"This was a very small march and I can only imagine what Martin Luther King was going through when he did those long marches in a large crowd," Daugherty said.
Fellow student Dollin Bryce said he's learned a lot from participating in the march over the past two years.
"We go over more of his life with this event than in school," Bryce said. "He was a great man."
"If it wasn't for Martin Luther King Jr.," Daugherty said, "it'd be pretty bad still, like, in general. So I just think it's very important to celebrate who we've become as a collective group of people."
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed on the third Monday of January each year. The federal holiday was established in 1983 as a day of service to honor King's legacy.
