CORNING, NY (WENY) -- The 171 Cedar Arts Center hosted an event to honor the late civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The 'Making Real the Dream' event honored MLK's life, legacy, and service, while also showcasing culture and bringing the community together.

"I think this day is important because it allows for our community to come together. Black, white, whatever persuasion you are to come together, educate, and celebrate his legacy, but also each other as well," said the Chief Diversity Officer for the Economic Opportunity Program at Corning Community College, Babatunde Ayanfodun.

This is the 41st year that the 171 Cedar Arts Center has hosted an MLK Day of Celebration. The Executive Director of 171 Cedar Arts Center believes it's very important for people in the Corning and Southern Finger Lakes community to embrace others' ideas of what it means to be an American.

"We’re in a very homogenous part of the country and I think that any kind of exposure and education that we can provide to our community and make sure all voices are present at the table [is good.] Sharing and having open conversations about our identities, orientations, perspectives, and our lived experiences is crucial to us being able to move forward as a community and a culture," said Executive Director, Kirsty Buchanan.

Some of this year's events featured dances and poetry readings. Ayanfodun had students from the Elmira City School District and CCC read poems from some civil rights leaders.

"When we think about MLK, I think we think about all of his great speeches and all of the work he does. We also don’t want to forget all of the people [who] were part of his legacy... So, the poem is to celebrate today and acknowledge some of those individuals... Each one of these students is going to represent one of those civil rights leaders and read a small excerpt from a poem I wrote, but also a quote they also wrote. It’s a little bit of a mix of original poetry and also quotes from the individuals," said Ayanfodun.

One of the students who read a poem was Alisiah A., a freshman at Elmira's Broadway Academy. She hoped people were able to take away something positive from the event.

"I hope they learn to appreciate the people who really fought to have a voice and opinion without [using] violence. I feel like it was great not to have to use violence to get your voice heard," she said.

Organizers and attendees also hope that the event's message of unity and inclusion can spread throughout the community.