Gainesville celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a recognition ceremony at the newly renovated MLK Memorial Gardens on Monday.

The memorial garden, in the southeast corner of City Hall Plaza, reopened in the last couple of weeks as the city overhauls the plaza, but leaders officially cut the ribbon on Monday. The rest of the plaza is expected to finish by April.

During the ceremony, the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Florida recognized the city of Gainesville, Essence Davis and Diyonne McGraw for their services before leading the parade down University Avenue and toward the Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center.

Rodney Long, president of the MLK Commission of Florida, said no entity had ever earned the President’s Award, instead going to individuals throughout its history. But Long said Gainesville had been an unwavering ally since 1984 when he first asked the city to set aside an area for the gardens.

The memorial gardens were established the next year, and 41 years later, the area is now redesigned and renovated for continued use.

“[Gainesville] promised that they would maintain this space in perpetuity, and I want to say to the city of Gainesville, you have lived up to the promise that you promised us in 1984,” Long said.

He said Gainesville officials prioritized the memorial garden during the construction to ensure it finished in time for the holiday event. Long also thanked Scherer Construction for its communication and work to finish the project.

Mayor Harvey Ward said the city government will continue to be a part of the event because the voters insist on it. He said that’s why, for the last four decades, though various elected leaders, the city has upheld its commitment.

He also reminded attendees that King often spoke about the arc of the moral universe bending towards justice. Ward said the arc doesn’t bend on its own but because people push against it and make it move.

“This is an outward and visible symbol of the bending of that arc of the moral universe,” Ward said. “This is the result of people actually putting their hands on stone and creating something that lasts here for generations.”

The MLK Commission of Florida also recognized Essence Davis, an Eastside High School senior, as the 2026 Edna M. Hart Keeper of the Dream Scholarship Award recipient. The award comes with $12,000 and enshrinement into the Hall of Fame located at the gardens.

McGraw received the Hall of Fame Award from the MLK Commission of Florida. She served on the School Board of Alachua County and heads Successful Living, an agency providing services and advocacy for individuals with developmental disabilities. She has also held leadership positions on the MLK Commission of Florida.

“Those who follow my life truly know that I have lived through challenge and controversy, and guess what, I am still standing,” McGraw said. “Before I speak of courts and statutes and systems, I must first speak of faith . . . because faith is what has sustained me when systems failed.”

She quoted Joshua 1:9 before talking about a defining moment in her life—in June 2021, when Gov. Ron DeSantis removed her from the school board for not living in her district. McGraw defended her actions and said her 2020 opponent, Khanh-Lien Banko, and the governor broke the law to remove her from office.

“Even when removed illegally from office, I was never removed from purpose,” McGraw said. “1 Corinthians 15:58 declares, ‘Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain.’”

She also cited Florida Statutes and constitutional law to make her case and aligned her cause to that of King.

Her election to the school board came during a time of split votes, and McGraw provided a crucial third vote against the two dissidents. Some called, including a local elected leader, for the votes to be reversed.

McGraw filed suit against DeSantis but lost at the Eighth Judicial Circuit and at the federal level before winning the next election to return to the school board.

McGraw said the civil rights movement has evolved from enacting laws to enforcing laws, from physical blows to slander.

“The blows are not always physical,” she said. “They come from character attacks, misuse of courts, abuse of power and the slow grind of unjust systems. Diyonne’s sacrifice—enduring public attack, loss of position and years of legal struggle—is part of that continued fight. In other words, Dr. King’s sacrifice led to the enactment of the laws. My sacrifice is about the enforcement of the law.”

McGraw and Davis unveiled the Hall of Fame that now contains their pictures, and the crowd sang “We Shall Overcome” to end the event before marching in the parade.

The parade features fraternities, sororities, companies, local organizations and individuals, many with signs touching on discontent with President Donald Trump and the current administration.

The parade marched down University Avenue and onto Waldo Road to continue festivities at the Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center.