At the end of the Montgomery bus boycott in 1956, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. told supporters that the end of their struggle was not only to abolish segregation but rather, “the end is reconciliation, the end is redemption, the end is the creation of the beloved community.”

King believed the community he sought would be brought about not only through winning political and legal struggles, but winning people’s hearts and bringing them together toward a common purpose of justice.

That emphasis on unity, the idea we are “better together,” was evident throughout the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Unity March and the breakfast that followed Monday morning.

About 45 people Marched from the Clark County Courthouse to St. Joseph Catholic Church, where more than 250 people gathered for breakfast, music, speeches and the presentation of awards.

Ronda Simmons of Winchester, a producer at Lexington’s ABC News affiliate WTVQ, was the keynote speaker.

In her presentation, she said God creates each of us with gifts, and we can be strong on our own, but “we are stronger when we all work together in unity” for the common good.

Simmons promised to “do everything I can to break the chains of separation” at home, at work, at her place of worship, and urged others to do so as well.

“Remember not to do it alone. Suit up. Pray up. Team up. Because we’re better together,” she said.

Several local and state officials attended the event, including newly-elected Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, who also spoke during the program.

Calling King “heroic,” Coleman said, “He was exactly what this country needed and exactly what this country still needs today.”

“I would love to be able to stand here today in 2020 and tell you that his words and his wisdom have helped us overcome all racial prejudice and inequality, but we all know that is not true. We are still miles from where we should be as a society,” Coleman said.

She said the best way to fulfill King’s vision is “by being an example” of what he believed in.

She said Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration seeks to emphasize diversity in government, by appointing more women, people of color and people from different backgrounds.

The administration also wants to emphasize equality, she said, by ensuring people can raise a family on “one good-paying job,” treating access to health care as a right and public education as the foundation of community and making sure people can retire with “every penny they’ve earned” in their pensions.

“Kentucky deserves a government that serves all of its people. We will not tolerate oppression of minorities at the ballot box, we will not tolerate discrimination in the workplace and in our communities, and will fight for those who are victims of bias and unfair treatment. And I want to ask for your help in doing that,” Coleman  said.

Among those honored during the program were Wallace Howard, director of the Micro-City Government program at the old Oliver School in the early 1970s to provide summer jobs for youth, a farmer and blood stock agent, who was presented the Humanitarian Award by Winchester Mayor Ed Burtner. The mayor also presented an award recognizing former city official, businessman and teacher Rick Beach for his work on the Unity Committee.

Awards were also given to several students for MLK Day essays and artwork, and Emmanuel Episcopal Church was honored for having the best church banner.

Musical performances were provided by the George Rogers Clark High School Jazz Band and the high school’s chorus and Carolyn Bruton, and there was a dance performance by Teayla Granville.

City Commissioner Kitty Strode said the event was “the best program we have had here in a while.”

Skylynn Burnam, the 15-year-old George Rogers Clark High Schoolfreshman who emceed, said “it’s great to see young people come together at this event.”

At the end of the program, the Rev. Marvin King of First Baptist Church on Highland Street said he didn’t think society was close to achieving the “beloved community in the way in which we had hoped,” but he said, he believes it will come.

“Regardless of the polarization politically and regardless of our experience of the increasing marginalization of people of color … and disenfranchisement academically and economically and the widening wealth gap, I do believe we are going to bend in the next cycle towards justice,” he said. “It may not look like we anticipated it to look, but all roads of the human heart, if we take a stand for what is right and take a stand toward what is just, will lead toward commonality. I do believe that.”