LYNN - A crowd of African-Americans celebrated the life and times of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at City Hall Monday and also deceased Lynn civil rights leaders Virginia Barton and Abner Darby.

Amid the fanfare over King's accomplishments, Barton and Darby emerged as the voices of change in Lynn since the 1960s. Each was singled out for a posthumous award by the Community Minority Cultural Center (CMCC).

The morning event was highlighted by musical performances by the Lynn Public High Schools Jazz band in the Lynn Auditorium, followed by speeches, song and prayer.

Guest speaker Robert Lewis, vice president for programs at The Boston Foundation, kept the audience riveted with a high-charged address.

Although never spit upon, forced to ride at the back of a bus or use a blacks-only bathroom, Lewis said his family home was fire-bombed. In some ways, not much has changed over the past 50 years for the nation's African-Americans, yet in others great strides have been made, he said.

Lewis urged the audience to become drum majors for change in Lynn, to follow in the steps of Barton and Darby. "We are the United States of America, not the divided states of America," he said. "We are more alike than not alike."

Lynn attorney James Carrigan read a poem in Barton's honor. "Virginia Barton lived the dream," he said, describing the CMCC co-founder as a woman with a steel spine who never hesitated to stand up for her beliefs. "We miss her strength. She was our leader. We miss her grace and humor."

CMCC Executive Director Steven Godfrey recalled meeting Barton last year as he was about to take over the reins of the organization. "Mrs. B. was sharp as a whip and looked me straight in the eyes," he said, describing her no-nonsense approach toward what was expected of the CMCC's top executive.

During recent renovations at the CMCC, Godfrey found a 1991 photograph of Barton that seemed to epitomize her best traits. "I wanted to keep it," he said, tucking the framed photograph behind the podium.

But the photo was presented to the family, accepted by the heroine's son, City Council-at-large candidate Gordon "Buzzy" Barton. "My sisters asked that I come up here and get it. Well, I'm keeping it," he said, eliciting plenty of chuckles from the crowd. A big-screen video offered glimpses into all phases of Barton's life.

Born in 1928, Barton was a former Lynn middle school teacher instrumental in establishing a North Shore chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and advocating for literacy and fair housing.

The breakfast event brought out representatives from many of the city's prominent families and a bevy of elected officials, including U.S. Rep. John F. Tierney, state Sen. Thomas McGee, state Reps. Steven Walsh and Robert Fennel, Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy, and at least four of the city's 11 city councilors.

When the speeches and performance of "Building Bridges Through Music"were over, the crowd joined in singing "We Shall Overcome", then retreated to tables spread throughout the auditorium entrance, building lobby, and down a labyrinth of hallways. It was a venue far different from the traditional all-in-one-room gatherings at St. Michael's Hall or the North Shore Community College gymnasium.

Audrey Jimenez, branch director of the Lynn YMCA and member of the CMCC's MLK Planning Committee, said 350 tickets were sold before the event and more at the door. The concept was to bring everyone celebrating King's birthday in Lynn together at City Hall, a message the mayor emphasized in her brief address.

The national holiday on the third Monday of January observes the birthday of King, who advocated a non-violent civil rights movement. He was assassinated in 1968. The holiday was officially observed for the first time on Jan. 20, 1986.

"This is, indeed, a very important day," Godfrey said.

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