The assassination by a white supremacist of the Reverend Martin Luther King when he was in the prime of his life is one of the great American tragedies of our modern era.
He was born into a nation praising itself as the greatest place on earth at a time when Black people were largely relegated to a second tier life in a racially segregated nation.
When he died, the nation was in turmoil over the Vietnam War, and race riots in nearly all the large American cities revealed a fractured society at odds with itself.
Through his words and actions, and with a pledge and promise of non-violence, King turned heads wherever he spoke.
He became the American version of Mahatma Ghandi, the Indian leader who brought India to independence from racist British rule.
He raised the promise of America to a new height for Blacks and Browns, and for every race of people struggling to achieve the American Dream.
Recalling the memory of Martin Luther King is important.
Our nation would not be what it is today without the effects of his powerful presence changing the world.
Martin Luther King Day applauds his birth and death, his great work for peace and justice for all men and women on this earth.
He was a great man through and through. We shall not see his likes again.