Thinking back on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Atmore, I couldn’t help but smile.

I smile because there were so many smiling faces and signs of peace from those who celebrated during the MLK Day Parade and the MLK Day Celebration at Escambia County High School.

Reflecting on King’s legacy and life, many pondered what the Civil Rights leader accomplished.

What he accomplished in life and now in death is monumental and shouldn’t be ignored.

King taught us to treat each other, no matter what color your skin might be, equally.

During the day on Monday, I noticed a lot of my Facebook friends putting some of King’s quotes as their statuses.

Some of my favorites include:

• “The time is always right to do what is right.”

• “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

• “Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude.”

• “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”

There are several other quotes from King, including the dream he had for all, that resonate with me.

I’m so glad that we take time to pause and reflect on King’s legacy in America, especially in the south.

I believe there will be a day where we’ll come together as one people, as one nation and celebrate.

While that may happen and I’m hoping and praying that it does, we still have a lot of work left to do to get there.