The inauguration of the nation's first black president to a second term fell this year on the same day set aside by the nation to honor a revered civil rights leader.
It was the second time an inauguration, with its date mandated by the constitution, has fallen on the federal Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
In Myrtle Beach, the 6th annual King Day Corporate and Community Awards Breakfast at the Canal St. Recreation Center included a re-enactment of King's best-known speech by Rev. C. J. Gore. It brought "amen's" and a standing ovation from attendees.
Several speakers at the breakfast urged the community and nation to work toward ending gun violence, with the keynote speaker pointing out that the effort to fulfill King's dream is not over.
"We know that with all of the disparities that we have - health care disparities, economic and educational disparities, crime rates that we have, drop out rates that we have - there still is a lot of work to do," said Mignon Clyburn, FCC Commissioner and daughter of U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn.
The day's events in Myrtle Beach included the annual King Day Parade, with a drum line that was symbolic of King's quote about being "a drum major for justice" among the units marching down Carver St.
One parade-goer said she thinks King would still be working toward achieving some of the same goals he always championed, if he were alive today.
"Working on working together with each other, white, black, yellow or blue. he want everybody, all people, all race, all culture to come together to work as one," said Magaline Grant of Myrtle Beach.
There were those in the parade crowd who said they think King would be upset that more has not been done to curb drug abuse and violence.
"Dr. King was a man of peace and so the fact that there's so much gun violence, that would really disturb him as it is disturbing us in this nation now," said Frances Washington of Myrtle Beach.
At the same time, Washington said she thinks the election of a black president means the nation has grasped King's legacy.
