NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — At the National Museum of African American Music, guests packed into the Roots Theater.
Some came by themselves, while others came with family.
"Dr. King, although posthumously — he is a mentor to my son," said Chantay Walker Dillard, sitting next to her young son, Chase.
One by one, artists took to the stage. Performances included songs and spoken word.
The museum's President and CEO, Henry Beecher Hicks, said it was the power of music that often played a role in the civil rights movement.
"If you think about what really led or what really drove all of those foot soldiers forward, oftentime it was the music that they were singing, the beat that they feeling — not only in and around themselves audibly, but also in their souls," said Hicks.
The free event was called called "A Drum Major for Justice: Celebrating the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.," inspired by Dr. King's 1968 speech "Drum Major Instinct."
"What can each of us do in our lives to be that drum major for justice? What is the message we can send that's on Tiktok or Instagram, through a song that we write, through engaging with our schools or the professional environments that we're in? What drum can we beat on and be a drum major for justice and equality in our society? And that's something I think we all should take to heart and keep in mind," said Hicks.
The performances were so powerful — at times, moving Dillard to tears during the event.
"Me being from Memphis, Tennessee and living five minutes from the Lorraine Motel, my grandparents and my former pastors having been friends with Dr. King and marched with him," said Dillard.
But Dillard believes the legacy of Dr. King lives on in her son.
"He was not taught to live by color," she said. "He was taught to live by human kindness and just being friends with everyone."
The event also marked two years since the National Museum of African American Music opened its doors to the public.
