Twenty five years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday was designated as a federal holiday. Dr. King would have only turned 44 years old that year. The purpose of dedicating an annual day to Dr. King is not only to give ourselves the opportunity to reflect on a prolific life that ended prematurely, but to remind us that the work of social justice and the civil rights movement is far from finished. Today is a call to action to continue the work of Dr. King – not only today, but every day moving forward.

Dr. King’s dream of equality for all, no matter race, creed or color, no matter sex, gender, age or class, has not been fully realized. He would be proud of how far we have come as a nation, but we know that discrimination is still too pervasive in certain corners of our society. The fight for economic and racial justice still goes on.

Discrimination may not always be as obvious as it was at the birth of the civil rights movement, but it remains present in our daily lives. This is a day to reflect on the life of Dr. King and it is also an opportunity to think about what we can each do, every day, to make our world more like the one he saw in his dream.