ATLANTA (AP) - Residents across the South observed Martin Luther King Day with parades, church services and acts of service.
The day began in Alabama with a Unity Day Breakfast in Tuscaloosa. WBRC-TV reports that dozens of people attended the breakfast at Beulah Baptist Church, where the Rev. Tyshawn Gardner spoke about Tuscaloosa's ability to overcome violence, poverty and division.
In Atlanta, an overflow crowd showed up at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to celebrate King's legacy at an annual commemorative service.
One of the speakers at Ebenezer, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, noted that 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of King's visit to Chicago to launch a campaign for fair housing. Castro said protesters eventually got the Chicago real estate board to stop opposing open housing laws.
