Other Utah events also focused on celebrating and emulating King's legacy.

At the NAACP's 23rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Luncheon at the Little America Hotel, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. pointed to the legacy of Coretta Scott King, who died last year, as her husband's "full partner in marches, in travels abroad, in giving speeches."

Huntsman pointed to Scott King's accomplishments such as leading a march just days after her husband's April 4, 1968, assassination, and founding the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.

"I think we would do ourselves all a great service by remembering this great woman as we remember Dr. Martin Luther King," Huntsman said.

At the state Capitol, lawmakers took time out from their opening day to observe the holiday through ceremonies in the Senate and House of Representatives.

"All of us have a special obligation to pause on this day," Forrest Crawford told representatives.

Crawford, assistant to the president for diversity at Weber State University, told lawmakers there is still need for progress in closing educational achievement gaps and in working to end homelessness.

"We are nowhere near where we want to be ... but we are also further along," Crawford said.

Rep. Neil Hansen, D-Ogden, had hoped the Legislature would vote to create a state commemorative day marking Juneteenth Independence Day, celebrating the end of slavery. However, the House adjourned without any floor debate. The bill, HB11, is on the floor calendar and will likely be addressed today.

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com; rwestenskow@desnews.com.