Some spent their Martin Luther King Jr. holiday with family. Some with friends cooking over an open grill.

Others spent their day in commemoration of King and those who have attempted to follow in his footsteps.

Monday evening at First Baptist Church on Martin Luther King Street, three individuals were presented with the Bridge Builder award by Sam Walker, consultant for the National Voting Rights Museum, at a commemorative program.

According to Walker, the award is given to those who show ways to connect communities.

Councilwoman Jean Martin was the first to be recognized by Walker as she approached the podium to a round of applause.

Martin said that one of her grandsons had just arrived in the Persian Gulf as part of military movements that are now occurring.

Keeping with the theme of peace that was set during the march earlier, Martin said, &uot;There’s not enough oil in the world to make up for his life if anything happens to him.&uot;

Mayor James Perkins Jr. and guidance counselor Sadie Moss also received awards. Perkins and Moss weren’t present at the commemorative program.

Later that evening, however, Moss said that she was very happy that she had received the award. She added that she’s worked with children for the last 27 years and is appreciative of getting the award because of what it stands for.

Walker presented the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Award to state Sen. Hank Sanders. Walker prefaced his presentation by saying that the person he was giving the award to gave it to him five years ago.

He also said that usually the award isn’t given to public servants, because living up to the award’s tenets is part of the job.

However, he said Sanders has gone above and beyond what is expected of a public servant.

Because Sanders wasn’t present Monday night, his wife, Faya Ora Toure, accepted it for him. Toure said that her husband was one person who tried to help everyone, and that he wasn’t swayed by one political party or the other.