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Norfolk community honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy with walk down Church Street

The event also honored the Montford Point Marines, the first African Americans to serve in the United States Marine Corps in the 1940s.

NORFOLK, Va. — People packed the Attucks Theatre in Norfolk Monday to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

The city's annual event featured music, prayer and a keynote speaker. 

After the ceremony, the group — led by Mayor Kenny Alexander, members of the Norfolk City Council and Norfolk Police Chief Mark Talbot — marched down Church Street to the MLK Memorial at the intersection with Brambleton Avenue.

There, Eric Labat recited Dr. King's famous "I Have A Dream" speech, saying it's important to remember what the civil rights icon stood for. 

"His legacy should be honored and remembered today because his words are timeless," Labat said. "And what he spoke in 1963 in Washington D.C. is equally important not just for Black Americans but for all Americans. It's important today, just as much as it was then." 

The event also honored the Montford Point Marines, the first African Americans to serve in the United States Marine Corps in the 1940s.

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