HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT The Mass Choir raises its voice in song during its own tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King at the All People's Breakfast at the Pahrump Nugget Monday morning. HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Awards are presented to, from left, Linda DeMeo, Claudia Knight and J. Sophia Liakopoulos. The three were honored for their various contributions to the community. "I marched with Dr. Martin Luther King in the city of Chicago when we were trying to integrate various city agencies," Knight remembered. "When my mother and I marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, we felt part of that movement and it stayed with me all of my life." Advertisement

A packed house attended the sixth annual All People's Breakfast at the Pahrump Nugget banquet room on the Martin Luther King holiday Monday, honoring the man who preached non-violence and racial equality.

"Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a vital figure of the modern era. His lectures and dialogues stirred the concern and sparked the conscience of a generation. The movements and marches he led brought significant changes in the fabric of American life through his courage and selfless devotion," said guest speaker Nye County School Board President Dennis Keating.

The late Coretta Scott King embraced Martin Luther King Day as a meaningful way to celebrate and honor her husband's legacy, Keating said. He quoted King's late widow, saying, "The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others."

Pahrump Town Board Chairwoman Laurayne Murray presented plaques to three women, Claudia Knight, J. Sophia Liakopoulos and Linda DeMeo, for their outstanding service to the community.

Knight recalled being a child of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, which she said was a dangerous and tearful time.

"I marched with Dr. Martin Luther King in the city of Chicago when we were trying to integrate various city agencies," Knight said. "When my mother and I marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, we felt part of that movement, and it stayed with me all of my life."

DeMeo said the award wasn't about her but about King. In her Bible study every morning, DeMeo said she learned, "You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love."

Liakopoulos remarked, "Today is a very special day." She gave thanks to the community for helping her start work on a homeless veterans' shelter.

The Rev. Walter Wilson, pastor of Church of the Harvest, picked up on the theme of education, in his closing remarks.

"If we don't invest in children, we're doomed to failure," Wilson said.

Then in a tribute to King's famous "I have a dream" speech, Wilson said, "He had a dream, and his dream was all people would come together as one. All of us are human regardless of our skin color.

"His cause was all of us would live in harmony and peace. I'm a new resident of Pahrump, but I have seen unity far greater than in my home city."