SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — As the nation remembers the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the cold morning did not stop members of the Springfield community from gathering for a memorial march.

Hundreds of people from all walks of life gathered to remember and celebrate the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his legacy.

“Given the world where we see such division and unfortunately, a lot of hate, it’s the constant reminder that we should be always striving toward that,” said Kyler Sherman-Wilkins, Vice President of the Springfield NAACP chapter. “That that place full of love and free of hate.”

The decades-long tradition starts with the march across the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge and ends at the Gillioz Theater for a presentation reflecting on the past and future.

“We’ve come so far as a community, as a people toward living toward that, that, that promise and that dream that MLK so famously had,” Sherman-Wilkins said. “But we’re not there yet, and I think it’s just a way of honoring what we’ve done but also lay out the road map to where we need to go from here.”

One Drury student from Texas marching today says this was her first march for MLK Day.

“I don’t have to do it alone. And like I have other people I know already here,” said Kathy Franklin. “So I’m like, just really excited and really happy and like, really looking forward to the march.”

Sherman Wilkins says MLK Day is more than just a national holiday and the march is a tradition the NAACP plans to continue for years to come.