FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.(KNWA/KFTA) — Members of the Northwest Arkansas community wanted to share inspirational words about who Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was to them.

Monique Jones the Outreach and Community Engagement Director for Saint James Missionary Baptist Church in Fayetteville, says Dr. King paved the way for her and others.

“It means a lot to me that I’m in this space to be honored where he stood and walked before me and opened doors for me and hopefully the things that I do in this community open doors for the next generation,” Jones said.

For others like Na’Tosha De’von, King was a prime example of unity and love as he strived to have justice and equality in society.

“When we look at the love that Dr. King had for people and not just black people but people as a whole and we see that Baton passed on from generation to generation and that’s a part of why we can still celebrate his legacy today,” De’von said.

A legacy that Lindsey Leverett-Higgins of the Northwest Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Council wants to leave behind.

“We recognize that Dr.King left and there was still work to be done and so this opportunity to challenge ourselves to pick up the torch and to continue to carry on the work that Dr.King left behind for us,” Leverett-Higgins said.