EAST STROUDSBURG -- For the first time in history, a black President has been inaugurated on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
It's a historic event and for one man who worked with Dr. King, it's a day that's very emotional.
"It's a historical coincidence, that the first black President should have his second inaugural on Martin Luther King's celebration," said Charles Jones, a keynote speaker at an awards ceremony at East Stroudsburg University.
Jones knows a thing or two about witnessing history.
From 1964 to 1968, he was Dr. Martin Luther King Junior's civil right's lawyer.
"I saw hatred like I never seen before in people. I saw love like I never seen before. The country was alive," said Jones.
That's some of what he told a crowd during an awards ceremony at East Stroudsburg University.
Jones was the keynote speaker and talked mostly about his friendship with Dr. King.
"He thought very deeply about who he was as a human being and how he could make the greatest contribution with the talent that he had," said Jones.
In the 1960s, Jones worked for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and provided legal representation for people involved in the civil rights movement.
He says it impresses him how Dr. King's message still resonates today.
"In our own ways, whatever they are, we can go inside and discover who we are and try to inspire people to be the best that they can be," said Jones.
Jones says to see another piece of history, the first black President being inaugurated on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, is moving.
When asked if it's an emotional day for Jones, he replied, "Yes, it is. Truly, truly,".