ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — Ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, events are being held to honor his legacy, right here, in the Bay Area. The MLK Dream Big Showcase brought music and purpose to St. Petersburg.

At Gibbs High School, music filled the air as young musicians showed off their talent.

For students like Zacharriah Martin, the Martin Luther King Jr. Battle of the Bands was about more than the notes on a page.

“He plays alto sax, and he is also the section leader,” his mother Aquinetta Nelson said.

Zacharriah has big dreams. He wants to attend Florida A&M University, a prestigious historically black college in Tallahassee.

“I want to join the band and major in civil engineering or computer science,” said Zacharriah.

But this showcase wasn’t just about music, community leaders said it addresses critical issues facing our youth.

“We’ve had some issues with youth and guns in our community. We’ve had a number of youths who have been killed, unfortunately, due to gun violence and auto thefts and things of that nature. So, these types of programs allow you to have an alternative to do something different and then to have the mentoring piece,” County Commissioner Rene Flowers said.

With Dr. King’s message of service at its core, county commissioner Rene Flowers said with the shutdown of many diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, events like this play an even greater role.

“With the closure of a lot of DEI programs and things of that nature, I believe he will be reinforcing those values,” Flowers said. “But also, I think he looked out into the crowd and saw the cross-section of people from various parts of our community. And he will say he was well pleased.”

The MLK DDream Big Band showcase doesn’t just celebrate music–it creates a pathway for youth to succeed, both on and off the field.