Many gathered in downtown Fresno on Monday for the 42nd annual Martin Luther King Jr. march, honoring the civil rights leader’s legacy with a call for unity across racial, political, and social lines.

The march began at St. John’s Cathedral at 10 a.m., paused at City Hall, and concluded at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium.

“Today is the Dr. Martin Luther King celebration,” said DJ Criner, pastor of St. Rest Baptist Church. “Here locally we’ve marched from St. John Cathedral to our steps of our City Hall now to Veterans (Memorial Auditorium) to give honor and tribute to Dr. King’s legacy and his vision … for all of us to be together as one.”

Criner said this year’s celebration carried added weight amid national political and social divisions, but emphasized the unity seen in Fresno.

“Here in Fresno on this day, we’re not divided by way of political tones, by way of racial tones, even by way of social economics — we’re one today,” he said.

Participants from different faiths, cultural backgrounds and age groups joined the march, which Criner described as “festive,” noting that people of all backgrounds walked together in solidarity.

Organizers said additional events honoring King’s legacy continued throughout the weekend, including another march from Courtyard Park to the Civic Center later Monday.