The keynote speaker at Peoria's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Luncheon made voting rights the main theme of his address.
Andrew Gillum was the 2018 Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate and a former Tallahassee mayor.
"All over the country, we are seeing active, aggressive steps taken by political leaders to suppress and depress the rights of certain people to be able to participate in the franchise," he said.
Florida's Supreme Court recently upheld a measure requiring former felons to repay all court costs and fines before they can regain the right to vote.
This comes after Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2018 to restore voting rights for 1.4 million Floridians with a felony conviction.
Gillum says he wants to work to uphold the 1965 Voting Rights Act across the country.
Gillum credits King's work and sacrifices for helping him get where he is today. But he says people often forget King wasn't even 40 when he was assassinated in 1968 - and he says there's a lesson in that.
"Age ain't nothing but a number. That at any age that you are that you have an opportunity to get into the process and you see something you don't like, you have an opportunity to change it," he said.
The city of Peoria also celebrated homegrown NBA star Shaun Livingston at Monday's luncheon.
North Street between Richmond and Armstrong will become "Honorary Shaun Livingston Way." That's near Livingston's alma mater, Peoria High School.
