PORTLAND, Maine - Hundreds are gathering at events in Maine today to honor the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights leader who was murdered 47 years ago this year.
The biggest event marking the Monday holiday was in Maine's largest city, where the 34th annual Martin Luther King Breakfast was hosted by the Portland chapter of the NAACP.
Former Democratic Congressman Barney Frank, of Massachusetts, was keynote speaker at the event, which also marks the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Tom Porter looks back at Martin Luther King Jr.'s visit to Maine in 1964.
Frank - who's a part-time Maine resident - used his speech to urge everyone to exercise their right to vote.
"A failure to vote is a failure to engage in a way that brings about change," Frank said.
Not present at the event was Maine's Republican Gov. Paul LePage. LePage attended a Martin Luther King breakfast in Waterville, where a former NAACP national staff member was due to speak.
LePage is the former mayor of Waterville and has close ties to the city.