Seventy-five members of the Body of Christ Christian Worship Center, located in the Memorial Union, celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with words of advice and encouragement from three people who have been personally touched by King’s message.

George Jackson, assistant dean of the graduate college at Iowa State, gave his perspective about the August 1963 March on Washington.

Jackson was present when King made his historic “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Jackson said one of the highlights of the day was the community atmosphere felt by those in attendance.

“They were young; they were old; they were rich; they were poor; they were black; they were white; they were red; they were brown,” he said. “And they came from everywhere.”

Jackson said the day was unlike any other he has experienced.

“It was a hot day. It was the kind of day where, if you were going to get angry, if you were going to get upset about something, it would be that day,” he said. “But you know, nobody did.”

Visiting minister Paul Coty III said King was not only a pastor but a “prophet unto the nation.”

“A prophet foretells the things that we cannot even begin to see — I think of him as a forecaster because he spoke those things which were to come,” Coty said.

Coty also questioned what “diversity” should mean to Americans today.

“We speak about diversity so highly. Who called us to be diverse?” he asked. “God never called us to separate, but to unite.”

Coty advised the members of the congregation not to lose sight of King’s dream.

“If you ever want to get to the place of God, don’t you dare stop dreaming,” he said. “Where there is no vision, people perish. If you don’t have a vision, somebody will die because you stop seeing — either emotionally, spiritually or psychologically.”

Coty encouraged people to find “the dream” within themselves.

“Today I came here to help you reignite your dream, to ask you, what is your dream? Forget Martin Luther King — what is your dream?” he said.

Dashan Sardine, junior in preparation for human medicine, talked to the congregation about how King inspires her in her own life.

“We have things that go on interracially here on campus … and we have to let each other know what’s going on inside of us and so that we can tear down the walls of the enemy,” Sardine said.

Sardine called racism a “man-made” construction.

“We need to be continually reminded that when we say ‘brother and sister’ — we don’t just mean our black sisters and brothers,” she said.

Sardine acknowledged that race is a sensitive issue, but she said people need to communicate their feelings about it in an honest way.

“[Discussing race is] a little uncomfortable — but it’s very necessary if we are going to come to another day,” she said.