In both speech and song, the Montgomery area gathered Jan. 20 to celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Organized by local nonprofit Dr. MLK Jr. Community Improvement Organization, the seventh annual Community Celebration featured various performers, including the Lake Creek High School choir, singer Sister Katherine Houston and the Praise Dancers.

Council Member T.J. Wilkerson introduced keynote speaker Chauncy Glover, an ABC-13 news anchor and reporter who created the Chauncy Glover Project, a mentoring program "for inner-city teenage boys," according to the group’s website. Wilkerson highlighted “honor, integrity, morality, restraint and discipline.”

Glover said although the black community has come a long way, there is still much work to be done to improve racial equality in the country and in the local community.

“The black male graduation rate here in Texas is at 65% when it is over 85% for our counterparts,” Glover said. “But there’s another side of this. ... We need more young men enrolled in college than incarcerated.”

The organization also gives scholarships to local young adults. Brinelle Lewis and Madlyn Chamberson both thanked the organization and the community for their support.

“If you have a dream, go after it because hard work, dedication, sacrifice and most importantly prayer changes you,” Lewis said.

The event was attended by various elected officials, including Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Wayne Mack, Montgomery Mayor Sara Countryman, Montgomery City Administrator Richard Tramm and Council Member Rebecca Huss. Wilkerson and his wife, Ann Wilkerson, are also members of the Community Improvement Organization.