COLUMBIA, MO. -- Schools, banks and government offices were closed on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.

Dozens of people gathered for the NAACP’s annual Martin Luther King Celebration at Columbia’s Martin Luther King Memorial Garden.  Jefferson City Community Leader Randy Halsey made the trip from Jefferson City to Columbia for the event.

Halsey said, “They compared the Martin Luther King Memorial here with the National Memorial.  They said this was one of the best in the country.  I think the people of Columbia have something, not only to be proud of, but it continues the tradition.  There is still a lot of room for improvement.”

A Columbia police escort guided a procession of cars honoring Martin Luther King.  The motorcade ended at the Second Baptist Church in Downtown Columbia for a special service.  Columbia’s black community leaders say Mid-Missourians of all backgrounds need to unite to keep King’s dream alive.

NAACP Vice-President Pamela Hardin said, “He talks about the measure of a man.  The measure of a man is that we as individuals have our dream and our dream of unity.  We take that and move forward in our actions and the things that we do day to day.”

Those gathered at Columbia’s Second Baptist Church said race is an emotional issue.  Members of the NAACP said they remain optimistic about race relations in Mid-Missouri as well as the rest of the country.

Dozens of people remembered Dr. King at Columbia’s annual Poor People’s Breakfast at the St. Luke United Methodist Church.

At 6 p.m. Monday, there will be a candlelight march from Columbia’s Douglass High School to another memorial celebration at St. Paul A.M.E. Church.