One of the highlights of Tuesday's rally was the appearance of Deborah Watts, a cousin of Emmett Till.

Till's brutal 1955 murder served as a catalyst to the start of the modern civil rights movement.

"Don't ever forget, it is better to build bridges from the past to the present to the future forever," Watts said. "Young people, keep the faith."

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Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, among others, will no longer be considered fee-free days at U.S. National Parks. While the MLK National Historic Park in Atlanta doesn't charge admission, the new schedule will affect such metro Atlanta sites as Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

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Jo'wan Bellamy taught in the GNETS program for 17 years and recently transferred to Atlanta’s new behavioral program at Crawford Long Middle School. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com