Hundreds gathered at Carl C. Morgan Convention Center in Selma Monday to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a unity breakfast led by a local Selma organization

The Selma Chapter of Links, Inc. hosted their annual Marin Luther King, Jr. Unity Breakfast. Created to honor of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the breakfast attracted elected officials, honorees and several community members.

“The best tribute we can make to Martin Luther King on this, his birthday, is to remember that the price of freedom is never free. It is never free,” U.S. Terri Sewell, the keynote speaker at the breakfast, said. “It has been paid for by the blood, sweat and tears of others. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and we drink from the fountains we did not dig.”

During the ceremony elected officials Selma Mayor George Evans, state Rep. Darrio Melton D-Selma, state Sen. Hank Sanders and Dallas County Probate Judge Kim Ballard shared their perception of Dr. King message of unity, equality, peace and nonviolence.

“Our modern-day challenges are no less debilitating then they were 50 years ago,” Sewell said. “When gun violence comes to communities like Selma, and the escalation of Black crime demonstrates a blatant disregard for human life, we have much work to do.”

Profits from admission ticket sells were used to fund the Links’ scholarship program. Links is an organization committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans.

Shortly after Sewell’s speech about current and future generations living by King’s message, scholarship recipients were recognized.

The organization also honored recipients of their Distinguished Citizens Award, which included civil rights activist and co-author of “Selma, Lord, Selma” Sheyann Webb-Christburg, Selma native and Cincinnati Bengals football player Michael Johnson, civil rights activist and co-author of “Selma, Lord, Selma” Rachel Milhouse and civil rights activist Louretta Wimberly.

Dorothy Arnold, who lives in Selma, makes a point to attend the event each year because she said it is important to recognize those came before us.

“[Dr. King] marched for us, for our rights, and we are so glad to have those rights now,” Arnold said. “Still in America, we are not doing what we are supposed to do, but he has fought for us.”