Photo: Suzanne Sausville/WBZ NewsRadio
QUINCY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Quincy celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the city's annual MLK Day breakfast Monday.
The breakfast was free and open to the public and took place at the Tirrell Room on Quarry Street.
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Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick McDermott sang the national anthem, followed by a King-inspired prayer from Rev. Mat Thomas, the lead pastor at Bethel Church of the Nazarene.
"May we never believe that violence is ever the solution. May we live in harmony with one another. May we challenge an oppressive system that marginalizes some while privileging others," Thomas said.
This year's keynote speaker was former Boston Police Department Commissioner Willie Gross. Gross was the first Black police officer to achieve the rank of Superintendent-in-Chief in Boston, then later served as the city's first Black police commissioner from 2018 to 2021.
1 of 2 Photo: Suzanne Sausville/WBZ NewsRadio
2 of 2 Photo: Suzanne Sausville/WBZ NewsRadio
Speaking to the audience, Gross emphasized King's message of equality for all.
"If you look around this room, you’re gonna see all God’s children, all ethnicities," Gross told the audience. "We all built this nation, we should all be treated the same—equality, civil rights, human rights."
Gross said King's fight for justice was no easy task.
"As he marched, number one, he wasn't alone because of God, but he marched with other people that had a solid foundation and believed that we're all God's children, we should all be treated the same, we should all be respected," said Gross.
WBZ's Suzanne Sausville (@WBZSausville) reports.