MICHAEL MURRAY/ATR:
At left, Rev. Mathis Wright, president of the Sumter County unit of the NAACP, receives the R.L. Freeman Award for service to the community. The award was presented by Rev. Eugene Hall of Jackson Grove Baptist Church, DeSoto.
Others shown at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday celebration are , from left, State Senator, Greg Kirk (R) Americus; Sumter County Commissioner, Clay Jones; and Sumter County Board of Commissioners chairman, Randy Howard.

MICHAEL MURRAY/ATR:
Dozens of locals marched from the Sumter County Courthouse to the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church for a program celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

MICHAEL MURRAY/ATR:
One participant in the march carried a sign displaying quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s powerful speeches.

MICHAEL MURRAY/ATR:
Dozens of locals marched from the Sumter County Courthouse to the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church for a program celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.