During a 90-minute ceremony at the State Capitol, some of Connecticut's elected officials, both its U.S. Senators, and members of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission celebrated the life of the late civil rights leader.
Treasurer Denise Nappier, the first African American female officeholder in the state, said King's legacy is one that speaks to everyone, not just minorities.
“It is a message and a mission that honors each and every individual and the value of the contributions to our society," Nappier said.
Students read excerpts from King's well known, "I Have a Dream" speech, and the state's replica of the Liberty Bell rang several times in King's honor.
Darryl Hugley, a member of the commission that honors King, said he's seen flashes of the Civil Rights era in recent months in protests over the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner in Ferguson, Missouri and Staten Island.
“A lot of these activists have been called millennials or new generations of students engaging in civil rights like protests in various cities,” he said.
During a ceremony at Hartford City Hall, former mayor Thurman Milner said he's not sure he would have led a life in public service had it not been for King.
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“He’s, of course, the one who opened doors for people like myself and people like President Obama," Milner said. "He was at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement and, as we showed today, brought forward the history, the true history of African Americans in the United States.”
