Quoting Dr. Martin Luther King, Chancellor Joe Garcia urged Coloradans to “harness the drum major instinct” and continue the fight for equity and justice at the annual All People’s Breakfast, a celebration of the legendary civil rights leader hosted by Colorado College on Monday.

The event brought together leaders from across the Colorado Springs community, including Lt. General Richard Clark, state Rep. Tony Exum, Sr., Colorado College president L. Song Richardson and Rosemary Lytle, president of the NAACP Colorado, Montana and Wyoming State Conference. Each speaker reflected on Dr. King’s famous call to action, “It starts with me,” and discussed ways Coloradans can carry on his legacy.

“Our job is to ensure that we’re not the last,” said Chancellor Garcia, who credited Dr. King and fellow civil rights activists for opening doors for people of color. Chancellor Garcia has been the first Latino appointed to several state leadership positions, including Lt. Governor. “We haven’t achieved true justice until the fact that we see a person of color or woman in a particular role not as unusual or unprecedented, but deserved and fairly earned.”