SHERMAN, TX -- It's a day to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And on Monday morning, people showed up at Austin College to do just that.

Austin College and Grayson County rotary groups co-sponsored the 9th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Breakfast.

Kenneth Martin, Austin College alumna, challenged a packed room about Dr. King's legacy.

"You can't demand anything just because you're black. You can't demand anything just because you're a woman. You shouldn't demand anything just because you're a Latino," he said. "You should demand it because you're good. You should demand it because you work hard."

He talked about the changes in society over the last 40 years.

"These days, it would be taboo to say 'you can't date this person because they're this race, or you shouldn't hire that person because they're from that gender or that race,'" he said.

The day also included a performance by the Sherman Federated Choir and a speech by a current Austin College student - who focused on the language of Dr. King's famous 'dream speech.'

"I was just really fascinated that he didn't say I 'had' a dream, because normally when people talk about a dream they say 'I had a dream last night,' or 'I had a dream last week,' not that 'I have one' - especially while they're still living. So I though that was really interesting," said Austin Brewster, Austin College junior.

And while both speakers discussed just how far society has come, they both stressed the need for the next generation to continue Dr. King's mission.

"Even though we don't have people marching like we did at one point, and there's not the same overt racism, there's still a certain level of racism," Martin said. "And it hurts everybody."

Barbara Reed,a Sherman native, said Martin's speech really hit home.

"He's made the same climb that we all have," she said. "And then to challenge us all to do better. Each and every one of us."