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Knoxville honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with parade, memorial

Thousands hit the streets in East Knoxville Monday to remember the civil rights hero.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A parade and memorial service honored the life and legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Monday in Knoxville.

"You can see humanity coming together," Pastor Dexter Mims said.

"(There are) People of every color and race just coming together," Vols quarterback J.T. Shrout said.

Shrout and Mims joined Knoxville Monday in remembering the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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"He was a great man, a very great man," Mozella Wilson said. "I think he would've been proud."

Mozella Wilson first learned about Dr. King as a child.

"I can't remember a lot," Wilson said. "When he did his march in Montgomery, my parents were there. But I was little. I remember them telling me about it. And so, every year I try to come to the parade to give what I can to honor him."

She again honored him Monday at Knoxville's MLK parade.

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"The young people are our future," Wilson said.

She hopes to share his message with her kids.

"They read about it in school," Wilson said. "But to be out there and experience it? That's something they will never forget."

Knoxville doesn't plan to forget either.

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"We're hoping that people have their hearts and minds open," Jackie Clay Dubose said.

The parade culminated with a memorial service at Overcoming Believers Church in Knoxville.

Dubose helped host the event as Vice Chairwoman of the MLK Commission.

"We're hoping that when people come to the MLK events, they feel challenged to go back and look at their everyday lives to think about what they can do to make a difference," Dubose said.

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Wilson said her parents marched with King.

"I think they would say this is what we worked for," Wilson said. "This is what we marched for--for the equality of everybody. If they were still living, I think they would be here too, probably marching too."

Dubose said Dr. King's message is still relevant even today, which is why it's important to honor him throughout the year.

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