Robert Pleasant, president of Operation: Be Proud, above, carries a portrait of Martin Luther King Jr.

Tuesday, January 18, 2000

Robert Pleasant, president of Operation: Be Proud, above, carries a portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. as part of his organization’s tribute to the fallen civil rights leader Monday. The group of 40 people marched through the city celebrating Dr. King’s message of peace and equality. C.J. Fletcher, 8, of Ironton, left, bows his head in prayer before the march. Afterward, more than 100 people gathered at Ohio University Southern Campus to view a video chronicling what life was like for blacks in Lawrence County before the civil rights battle.