"We may have all come on different ships, but we're all on the same boat now"

Hundreds of people in the Quad Cities spent time to celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. today.

The Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport hosted a celebration for the  civil rights leader.  It highlighted the efforts of the nonprofit Friends of MLK and Davenport P.U.N.C.H.

Its been more than five decades since the death of Martin Luther King Junior, but his legacy in the Quad Cities lives on. 

“He changed the world and never threw a brick and never put a building to fire,” says civil rights activist James Collins.

For Collins, King’s messages about unity and equality changed his life forever. “He was the epitome of humanity.”

Today, Collins was the key speaker at the sacred heart cathedral service. He says King’s movement taught him that in order to understand one another communication is key. “You have to have a conversation, have to come and know and understand the person of another race,” he shares.

He also says its going to take a little more for upcoming generations. Which is why the program also included a civil rights display.

“Children and some older people do not know the things martin luther king went through and he’d done to get us this far,” says Friends of MLK board member, Vera Kelly. 

The fight for basic rights and freedoms is exactly what Collins wants the younger generations to know. 

“People already had to pay that price you don’t even have to pay the price you just have to take advantage of the opportunity,” he shares.

He says there’s one important lesson to remember from King’s dream.

“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re all on the same boat now.”