The son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was in Brentwood Saturday to promote equality and justice during the Islip NAACP Legacy Awards. 

Martin Luther King III was the keynote speaker for the event held at the Brentwood Country Club. 

"My father left us when I was 10," he said. "My wife and I have a 9-year-old daughter, and I want to make sure that I am able to work with others to put things in place for her and generations yet unborn."

It's been five decades since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, and many say his message is just as important today. 

"We need to embrace his message and ideals now more than ever…There are a lot of divisions in the nation," said King III. "We are not where we need to be. We made progress. Some would say we went backwards for a moment. But I think it's a moment in time where we are propelled to move forward in an interesting way," he said. 

King III also stressed the importance of voting and forming coalitions to keep people's voices heard.