BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) — Lee Street Baptist Church hosted a celebration dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. on Saturday and welcomed a guest speaker from California.

Lerone A. Martin, Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Center at Stanford University, was the guest speaker at the celebration. Martin was honored to spend his Saturday in Virginia.

“It’s an honor to be here at Lee Street Baptist Church,” he said. “I’ve never been here before, but I certainly know the legacy of Lee Street and Charles Spurgeon Johnson being one of the sons of this church. So it’s a great honor to be here and especially to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. at such a historic location.”

Charles Spurgeon Johnson was born in 1893 in Bristol, Virginia, and was a sociologist, college administrator and advocate for racial equality. During his time, Lee Street Baptist Church served as a hub for the black community during racial segregation.

While on Lee Street, Martin reminded his listeners that Martin Luther King Jr. was against the “triple evils” — racism, poverty and war.

“One of the things that I try to focus on today on Dr. King is simply that we need to remember that King fought against what he called the triple evils,” he said. “So it wasn’t just racism, but it was also poverty and also concerns about war. And I think it’s important on every Martin Luther King Jr. Day that we remember that King cared more than just about racism, but also about poverty and war and how it shapes and affects the entire country and the world, for sure.”

Martin encourages individuals to listen to him on the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute website to learn more about Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy.

“I would encourage everyone who hears this interview to consider making Martin Luther King Jr. Their conversation partner,” he said. “I read to you and read some of King’s sermons and speeches, those that are not famous and that people know, but reading some of the things that are not as well known to educate oneself on Martin Luther King Jr and his legacy.”