People of all ages marched together in New Haven on Sunday to commemorate the work and dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
It's a tradition that spans five decades in the city thanks to the late pastor George W. Hampton. After meeting King, Hampton was inspired to create a march of his own.
As a result, New Haven has been home to the Martin Luther King Junior Love March for 53 years.
Today, Hampton's son carries on the tradition.
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"One day my father actually met Dr. Martin Luther King and decided that he was going to come back to his church to start a historical event," said Rev. Kennedy Hampton.
The march began at Shilo Missionary Baptist Church. Dozens came together to honor King's legacy and his fight for racial and social justice.
"What I enjoy most is seeing people come together as a reminder that we can come together across all racial and cultural boundaries, all of that," said Rev. Hampton.
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Amiel Johnson, a 9-year-old from New Haven, experienced the march for the first time. As he marched, he held a picture of MLK that he carefully drew by hand.
"When I drew this picture, it made me think of peace for the world," said Johnson.
Others have been part of the march for a while.
"I come back because we have to walk the walk and talk the talk like Martin Luther King did. And today you can feel his spirit within the halls of the church," said Joseph Rodriguez.
"It's nice to know about our history," said Nyana Spencer, of New Haven.
Rev. Hampton challenges all to learn and acknowledge history.
"For 53 years, we have never canceled. We pride ourselves on that. We've marched through blizzards. We've marched through rainstorms because we just want to remember the struggles of the people before that did not cancel," said Hampton.
