Bridgeport’s East End Baptist Tabernacle celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a special Sunday service.

Pastor Charlie Stallworth was born in Alabama during the height of the American Civil Rights movement. He remembers the unifying influence of Martin Luther King Jr.’s message.

"His words resonated with most people -- I mean, justice, fairness, truth are terms you just can't ignore, and I think those were the attributes of Dr. King that actually reached across the line,” he said. "More than Black people were involved in the movement. There were whites, there were Jews, there were other people who were involved who heard the voice of Dr. King and were just drawn into a movement larger than themselves."

During the Sunday ceremony, Stallworth spoke of King Jr.’s continued impact on the world at large.

"Dr. King was like the right person at the right place at the right time,” he said. "If I could sit down with Dr. King for ten minutes, I would tell him first thank you. And I would also tell him that your life had a great impact because most know that when Dr. King died; he was pretty much depressed. When he was assassinated, he was pretty much depressed. The movement was facing great challenges, but I would say to him the dream has come to fruition in a great way.”