Annual Martin Luther King prayer breakfast pays tribute to civil rights icon

Up to 1,000 people gathered Monday at the Triangle's annual interfaith prayer service and breakfast to pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Posted 12:16 p.m. Jan 21, 2019 — Updated 7:15 p.m. Jan 21, 2019

Alfred Charles

, WRAL.com managing editor

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — Up to 1,000 people gathered Monday at the Triangle's annual interfaith prayer service and breakfast to pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The program was broadcast live on WRAL-TV from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and was scheduled to re-air on FOX 50 at noon.

The event, presided over by WRAL News anchor Gerald Owens, featured musical tributes by local students along with remarks from several local religious leaders. Gospel singer Kelontae Gavin also performed during the two-hour event.

WRAL News anchor David Crabtree delivered the keynote address in which he said he was pleased to be the first white male to give the keynote address.

"I'm a bit intimidated and overwhelmed and so deeply honored," he said.

Observances marking King’s death are taking place coast-to-coast to honor the efforts of the civil rights leader. There are a host of other events that will be held around the Triangle on Monday, including the 39th annual MLK march in downtown Raleigh that starts at 11 a.m. at the state Capitol building.

Capitol Broadcasting Company is the lead sponsor of the Triangle's annual interfaith breakfast, which was held at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Research Triangle Park.

The city of Fayetteville also hosted a prayer breakfast to honor the slain civil rights leader.

King was 39 when he was assassinated on the evening of April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.

He helped organize the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus.

King famously delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech during the 1963 March on Washington, calling for equality among the races.

He pushed for federal civil rights legislation that was eventually enacted and won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work. King’s example, and his insistence on nonviolent protest, continues to influence many activists pushing for civil rights and social change.

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