Jan. 19 is a day of remembrance and celebration across the nation of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and at Indian Spring Park, Wacoans held their own celebration. The city’s annual Peace March has been held for over 20 years and is led by local chapters of Zeta Phi Beta and Phi Beta Sigma with a purpose to keep King’s dream and spirit alive.

At noon, hundreds of residents from McLennan and surrounding counties gathered at a rally organized by the McLennan County Democratic Party. Speakers including Beto O’Rourke, Nancy Thompson and Wendy Davis addressed the seated but enthusiastic crowd at a “March for Democracy.”

While being known for her role in the popular show “Good Luck Charlie,” Leigh-Allyn Baker has also been in the spotlight for speaking up about current social and political issues.

“You may ask yourself, ‘What is the history that matters?’” Sloan said. “I would say it’s the history that’s across from you. My hope is that you will put people across from you that are quite different from you and seek to understand and learn from their experience.”

But consider the other element of verbal communication that appears to be an invisible companion to words: choice.

In the U.S. it’s completely permissible to have your own opinions and beliefs. However, people tend to forget there is still a line of social responsibility that cannot be crossed without equal repercussions. History has amply taught us that words can be just as deadly, if not more, than any physical weapon. In this case, it was a film.