Sunday, Jan. 16 marked the 18th annual celebration in Lexington of the achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his words of racial freedom.

Formerly known as the Lexington Coalition for Racial Equality, CommUNITY hosted its yearly march and celebration to highlight racial diversity throughout Lexington and promote the bonds of brotherhood, focusing on the enduring spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King,  Jr.

The march started at the Lexington Battle Green, proceeded down Massachusetts Avenue through Lexington Center and ended at the Cary Memorial Building.

CommUNITY marchers carried a banner, which read: "If we mean to have racial equality, LET IT BEGIN HERE."

Also taking to the streets of Lexington alongside CommUNITY marchers were people holding signs in protest of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, playing Dr. King's famous, I Have a Dream, speech.

The Cary Hall celebration that followed the march was kicked off with two local musicians, high schoolers Srijesa Khasnabish and Kari McNeil, who played Bach's Double in D Minor (2nd Movement) on their violins.

CommUNITY's Jill Smilow explained the group's overall message of peace and hope before moving onto the afternoon's main feature, a documentary about a New England filmmaker tracing her ancestral roots throughout the American slave trade.

The documentary, Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, told the tale of the Dewolf family and focused on the lengths Americans have gone to not only break the slave trade so many years ago, but also the major racial epiphanies and subsequent changes our country has made in order to promote racial fairness.

The celebration in Cary Hall wrapped up with a sing-a-long to the African-American demonstration song of the early 1900s, Lift Every Voice and Sing.

“It's tradition why we are involved, we were here for the first march and we are here now,” explained Gerry Howell, one of the original founders of the Lexington Coalition for Racial Equality, started as a response to the Rodney King beatings in Los Angeles in the early 1990s, the group now know as CommUNITY.

“After the Rodney King episode, we thought we should do more to bring ourselves together,” Howell continued. “So, we thought we should do a Martin Luther King walk and it was a big success for the town and the community. So, every year, in support of his efforts, we walk."

“The walk symbolizes coming together and unity, we also put the younger members of the community up front because we see it as passing the torch to the next generation,” said Jan Howell, Gerry's wife.

CommUNITY will also present a second showing of Traces of the Trade: A Story of the Deep North, on Feb. 2 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Clark Hall inside the Hancock Church, 1912 Massachusetts Ave.

For more information on CommUNITY and its list of upcoming events, visit its website by clicking here.