Lighting candles at the Jan. 17 Martin Luther King Jr. remembrance are David DesJardin (left) and Raimi Nolta.

JOHN DAY … I have a dream today that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. …

Sixth-grader Trejan Speth of John Day read those words from Martin Luther King Jr.s most famous speech at a candelight ceremony Monday evening in John Day.

Trejan and about 25 people attended the event outside the Chamber of Commerce to remember the late civil rights leaders legacy.

Several of Kings messages of hope for a more peaceful nation were read aloud by various students and adults, along with quotes by Mother Teresa, Gandhi and Benjamin Franklin.

The group, brought together by the Grant County Human Rights Coalition and AmeriCorps volunteers, also sang If I Had a Hammer and We Shall Overcome.

A moment of silence was held as a remembrance of his philosophy, said AmeriCorps member Courtney Nolta. She earlier encouraged Grant County students to spend time on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, observed this year on Jan. 17, doing service for others.