Keynote speaker Keith Anderson recalled as a child, a paper boy, hearing the news of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s death. From a crowd that gathered on multiple levels of the Capitol rotunda, he drew applause when he recalled King’s words that children, black or white, should be “judged by who they are and not what they are.” That was not the reality in America then, Anderson said, but King saw it and knew. “The truth came as a bitter shock to America,” Anderson said. “Our differences are what makes us great. ... Rev. King knew that America couldn’t manifest itself until all people had basic human rights.”

Anderson issued a call for people to act. He said, “You have to do something that will stop the mistreatment. You have to become anti-violent, you have to become anti-racist. … It may be that you volunteer and help stop injustice. … Or it may be that in your words and actions, you teach your children to treat all people equally.” He said to cheers, “No man, woman or child should have to completely give up being who they are to be an American.”

King’s dream, he said, can only be realized when people “do whatever it takes to ensure that love conquers hate.” He said, "If we could just get off the fence, Dr. King's world of love isn't too far away."

After Anderson’s stirring speech, matron of ceremonies Mamie Oliver told the crowd: “I hope that you’ve heard the words, and that you know that you’ve got to do more.”

“I salute all of you here today … for taking a stand,” Sen. Cherie Buckner-Webb, D-Boise, said in the ceremony’s concluding remarks, which included a bit of her powerful singing. “I honor you for making the purposeful decision to make this day a day on, and not a day off,” she said. “As we leave this place, the people’s house, that’s your house, on this day of reflection and celebration, I urge you to move forward powerfully, passionately, and let courage be your guide. The courage to see and speak the truth. Know that the truth is the light in darkness. The courage to create and champion a vision. Dream the dream, then put that dream into action.”