More than 75 people celebrated the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during a community fellowship breakfast Monday morning at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Niles.

The annual event featured guest speaker Charlie McAfee, a film about Dr. King and plenty of discussion about how Niles residents could use King’s inspiration to affect positive change in Southwest Michigan and beyond.

Saundria Wilson, president of the Niles NAACP, said she came away from the event feeling good about the level of engagement from attendees.

“2016 has a different feeling,” she said. “I think people realize that there is something they can do. We realize we have the ability to have an effect on our own community. We can do a lot more together than we can by ourselves.”

Niles Councilwoman Georgia Boggs said she was impressed by the turnout, especially considering the cold and snowy conditions.

She encouraged everyone to follow Dr. King’s example by showing love and compassion for each other.

“I think that’s important — learning to treat each other well,” Boggs said. “After all, we are all Americans. We need to get back to the basics.”

Anyone interested in the Niles NAACP or its programs is encouraged to attend the organization’s regular meetings, which are held at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Niles District Library. The next meeting is Jan. 19 when members will discuss plans for the Taste of Soul event, which will be next month.