Communities come together to celebrate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Oklahoma City's streets were filled with powerful words, dance moves and candy on a Monday set aside to celebrate one of America's civil rights icons, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Across the Oklahoma City metro area, events to acknowledge King's contributions to promote equality and peacefully denounce hate were in full swing on the federal holiday.

At 9 a.m., gathered at the future site of Oklahoma City's Freedom Center and Clara Luper Civil Rights Center, a group joined together in appreciation of King while reflecting on progress made for equality but also recognizing the continued call for action.

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“That's our challenge, if Martin Luther King was here, that would be his. He would be inspiring, encouraging, telling you we got to change this, fix this, correct this. That's why they killed him," said Garland Pruitt, president of the Oklahoma City branch of the NAACP. "He had a voice. Each and every one of you all has a voice, use it.”

As the crowd shouted back cheers of agreement and the Rev. Derrick Scobey took the microphone, the message was clear, the only direction to go in the face of adversity is forward and resiliency alone is not enough.

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"A fighter is relentless, a punching bag is resilient," said Scobey, of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. “Whatever we're doing, we need to do it with a relentless spirit. Imagine with me, what our community, what our city, what our state would look like, if we all had some moxie.”

For Scobey and those attending the precursor event for the silent march to the Oklahoma History Center, in the fight for equal rights for all it is not enough to return to a familiar place after being knocked down.

“I don't believe Dr. King would want us to just get back to a particular point of where we were, but for us as Black people, we need to go to where no man has ever gone before,” Scobey said. “And that takes being relentless.”

As the group took to the street, with silent but unified voices, police officers and city residents embraced one another and together began the march along NW 23 to the history center, with the ceremonial ringing of Oklahoma's replica Liberty Bell and remarks from Gov. Kevin Stitt planned at the finish line.

Upon arrival to the center's atrium, filled with community leaders, activists and young curious kids, the governor spoke about the lasting influence Dr. King had on leaders of Oklahoma's own civil rights movement.

"Dr. King was a true American. He fought for freedom and justice for every man, woman and child in our great nation. He inspired so many across the nation, including Oklahomans like Clara Luper," Stitt said. "You know, Clara Luper, she demonstrated incredible courage when she led drug store sit-ins right here in Oklahoma City, she was also seen as a pioneer."

Stitt went on to mention the need to leave politics out of things and the importance to just work to do what is best for Oklahomans. He mentioned what he perceives to be an issue in that pursuit.

Alluding to the ongoing fallout from the United States Supreme Court ruling affirming the McGirt case, which acknowledges tribal sovereignty and territory for tribal nations in Eastern Oklahoma, Stitt remarked that the case conflicts with equality.

After the bell was rung outside of the history center, the celebration scene shifted to downtown Oklahoma City as holiday parade made its way through the heart of the city.

"I think that King's legacy and his philosophy is very important today, and I think a lot of it gets lost in translation, lost in time," said Jabee Williams, while waiting for the parade to start from the corner of NW 6 and Walker Ave. "Because there are a lot of people who don't really understand what he meant when he said 'I have a dream' in 1963."

What that speech means may differ from person to person, but for Williams the destination is clear.

"When I say equality I mean, true equality, where Black people are treated genuinely as equal as white people. And people of color, whether rich or poor, are treated just as equally from those from the better part of town," said Williams, who is opening a pizza restaurant, Eastside Pizza House, in the city's historically black northeast side. "So that's what it is to me, whenever we don't suffer from the systemic racism that we suffer today, still."

As the parade kicked off with horns and sirens from Oklahoma City's utility, fire and police crews, music filled the air as the sidewalks were packed with people along the entire route.

Parents with kids on their shoulders, parade participants tossing candy and marching bands and cute dogs stealing the show made up the afternoon stroll through downtown.

However, in the pomp and circumstance under sunny Oklahoma skies there was a clear example of the continuing battle for equality, as a group walked with arms locked chanting and pleading for the still incarcerated Julius Jones.

"Julius Jones is a human being, he deserves equality," the group chanted as they passed City Hall with a dance troupe in tow.

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While the parade route was mapped out and quartered off, the road to equality does not have as clear of a guide map. But, following the lead of Dr. King and taking the step away from the past seemed to be the consensus for the day.

“But we not only have to know we have to take a next step, but we also better know what that next step is. And we better be willing to face the consequences of what that next step is,” Rev. Scobey said. “Sometimes that step is lateral, sometimes that step is backwards.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC communities come together to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day