Nearly 50 years have passed since Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated while standing on his balcony in Memphis, Tennessee. However, each year millions around the world honor Dr. King’s legacy, and reflect on his message of peaceful protest and civil activism as a way to facilitate change and achieve equity.
Though today we pay tribute to a great American and the progress his impassioned leadership motivated, it is also a day to consider the work that must be done to eradicate the inequality, prejudice and injustice that still exists in our society.
As the plaque accompanying the statue of Dr. King erected across the street from the Capitol building in Springfield powerfully states: Rev. Dr. King was not only a civil rights reform activist, he stood for equality among all peoples. His dream for the equal rights of mankind has left our society a better place for all people.”
