Each January on the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I pause to remember what an enormous figure for justice he was. He had a way with words that inspired millions of people to reconsider their hesitation in supporting the push for civil rights. He had a dream of a time when the prejudices and narrow thinking that sadly remains part of our national heritage would evolve into a state of equality and opportunity for all. 

Martin Luther King was my hero. I have sat in the Ebenezer Baptist Church and listened reverently to the speeches that he made. I have traveled to Memphis, Selma, Birmingham and Montgomery to pay homage Dr. King and all of the brave souls who were willing to endure good trouble to end the stain of segregation that kept our Black brothers and sisters from fully enjoying the perks of our nation. I have shed tears of remembrance in each place.

The Civil Rights movement was a dominant part of my life as a child, teen and young adult. I vividly recall my grandfather explaining what was happening in Arkansas when the governor and many citizens tried to impeded the entrance of young Black children to schools with white kids. I began to follow the slow progress of the people who decided that doing what was right was more important than following prejudiced laws being used to hurt Black citizens. While I was not yet old enough to participate in rallies or marches I quietly became more and more educated about the plight of Black Americans who bore the hatred of prejudice in spite of their efforts to become equal partners in our freedoms. 

I was not yet twenty years old when Dr. King was assassinated. It was one of those moments that I vividly remember because the shock and the grief that I felt was enormous. I was washing dishes when my mother burst into the kitchen and announced what had happened, I was so stunned and devastated that I dropped the plate that had been in my hands and it shattered on the linoleum floor. When I stooped down to pick up the pieces I lost all control of my emotions and just sat next the shards crying. I knew that we had lost a great man, a martyr for one of the most important causes in our nation’s history. 

A few years back I had the honor of taking two of my grandchildren to Washington D.C. There we visited the many memorials to great leaders including the one set aside for Martin Luther King. My grandchildren took note of my emotions in that sacred place. They saw my admiration for Dr. King full force just as my students did on a Civil Rights tour in 2007. 

I have read much about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was by his own admission an imperfect man, but He did his best to be fair and honest and dedicated to the cause of freedom for all people. He noted that often good people decried his methods because they were strict followers of rules and they felt that his methods were outside of the laws. He noted just as Jesus did that sometimes the most righteous thing to do is to help those in need even if doing so skirts rules that are unfair. 

In this moment we are engaged in battles of right against might all over the globe. Old prejudices are openly rising from nooks and crannies where they seemed to have been hidden. At the same time ordinary people are standing up for neighbors and nations that are being attacked by authoritarians who do not value every person. Those marching in the streets around the world are following the lead of Dr. King and the many freedom fighters who risked their very lives to do what they believed to be right. Because of those brave souls we have a roadmap and a call to duty in ensuring that prejudice never again takes over our nation. Sadly, there is still much to do. 

The work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his fellow leaders did not diminish the worth of the white population. In fact it simply set right what should have been done for the descendants of slaves who built this nation in chains. We should all celebrate the progress but also be aware of the moments when anyone is being treated as though he or she is somehow less than the rest of us. Making America greater does not include going backward to a time when little Black girls were taunted and harassed simply because they wanted to attend the same schools as their white counterparts. It should not be a time when people are judged by the color of their skin, their religious beliefs or the accents of their voices.

Today we face major challenges and there are brave souls who are risking their own safety and possibly their lives to bring attention to the unfairness of ICE raids that are terrorizing innocents just as the old time KKK burned crosses and hanged innocent to intimidate Black citizens. Dr. King showed us how to protest. He eloquently explained our duties as caring human beings. On this day set aside in his honor remember him and do the right thing.