Thousands of people lined the streets of downtown Jacksonville on Monday to honor and remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the annual MLK holiday parade.

"It's very important to get the children down here to keep his memory alive," Sean Way said. "They can recognize the freedoms that they have today were started in part by Dr.King."

Those freedoms that were celebrated at the parade included acts of joy, remembrance and celebration the day after King's birthday.

People who attended the parade reflected on the affect that King made on the country.

"It goes back to a dream that was established long ago by Martin Luther King," Deborah Willis said. "And for this day to be here -- words can't really explain."

There was a chance the parade would have to be smaller this year because funding for it was stalled by the City Council. But the community came together and came up with enough money for the annual tradition to continue, something that makes Mayor Alvin Brown very proud.

"It shows how business communities, civic communities came together," Brown said. "We raised the money to make sure this parade took place. It speaks a lot about our city, how proud we are to have and celebrate Dr. King's holiday."

The mayor also pointed out that there were people of all ages in attendance, all for the same reason. The youngest generation of children is still being taught the importance of King's accomplishments.

The parade started on Water Street and ended a few hours later at Metropolitan Park, where people continued celebrating for the rest of the day.