BOSTON -- Choirs from three major U.S. cities gathered in Boston Monday to celebrate the life and legacy of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

The third annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Concert was held Monday night at the New England Conservatory of Music's Jordan Hall. Hundreds attended the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day breakfast at the Convention Center in South Boston Monday morning.

"'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.' Dr. King understood that dreaming was not enough. We must be dream keepers, and keep the dream alive," concert emcee and ABC's "Good Morning America" host Robin Roberts said during the event.

This is the first time in the United States that a children's choral concert was presented live on a major network affiliate celebrating the King holiday.

The Boston Children's Chorus, under the direction of Darren Dailey, shared the stage with two world renowned guests: the Chicago Children's Choir, under the direction of Josephine Lee, and the Young People's Chorus of New York City, under the direction of Francisco J. Nunez.

"(King) preached about children of all different colors and races coming together singing. He didn't mean it literally, but that is what we are doing," said Andrew Raynar, of the Chicago Children's Choir.

The Chicago Children's Choir includes 3,200 children, ranging in age from 10 to 18.

"We have children from everywhere, different races, different religions, different cities. And bringing (together) so many kids with the same passion, it is just, like, it is so powerful," said Julia Hanlan, of the Boston Children's Chorus.

The event merged storytelling and song to bring the civil rights movement alive. Inspired readings and narration during the event wove together some of the major themes characterizing King and his work.

Earlier Monday, state and local officials honored King at a breakfast in Boston.

Although strides have been made toward racial equality, more still needs to be done, officials said.

"The only way we will ever see equal pay, equal promotion, equal achievement is if there is equal success in education," Gov. Mitt Romney said. "We also know that there is an enormous gap between the average Massachusetts child and children of African-American or Hispanic-American desent."

Attorney General Tom Reilly said that more most be done to decrease the gap in students' Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test scores.

"I am just giving you the numbers from the class of 2006 -- this year's seniors class. The percentage of white students passing MCAS is 94 percent. For African-American students, it's 75 percent. For Latino students it is 71 percent," Attorney General Tom Reilly said.

The breakfast was emceed by NewsCenter 5's Pam Cross, and it featured several speakers who said that residents and political leaders need to focus on overcoming a recent spike in violence that has plagued Boston neighborhoods.