YOUNGSTOWN - Martin Luther King Jr. Day presents an opportunity to remember his message and legacy, and the MLK Jr. Committee of the Mahoning Valley has been doing that for 40 years.

The planning committee hosted its 40th annual community workshop to bring the community together to focus on faith as well as social and criminal justice. The theme of the event was remembering what is civil and doing what is right.

"The purpose is to bring the community together to not just remember Dr. King but to talk about his work, his dream and what we can do as a community," Jaladah Aslam, the event convener, said.

Special Agent Gregory Nelson from the FBI Northern District of Ohio, was the events' keynote speaker. He says events like this are a great way to bridge the gap between law enforcement and social injustices.

"I want to focus on and encourage partnerships across the FBI [and] law enforcement, community by community to focus and support racial equality," Nelson said.

Along with the workshop discussions on how to create and continue this work, they also note that these conversations need to continue all year long.