“I have a dream,” said Civil Rights Activist Martin Luther King, Jr. in his well-known speech of the same name, in 1963 in the middle of the American Civil Rights Movement.

   The dream that Martin Luther King, Jr. desired symbolizes a beacon for the freedom movement. He assured Black communities that they could cease suffering from racial discrimination, and he is one of the reasons why fighting for equality and civil disobedience play an essential role in today’s society.

   Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was created to honor the activist who sadly passed away in 1968. King’s leadership in the Civil Rights Movement and fight for equality are just a couple of reasons why we celebrate him. In 1983, according to the History Channel, almost 15 years after his death, the day was approved as a federal holiday. MLK Day marks King’s birth date and we celebrate and remember his accomplishments and determination to achieve equality for everyone, especially people of color (history.com).

   According to the Encycpedia Britannica, King was an American Baptist minister and activist who fought to end racial segregation and was significant in ratifying the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This act prohibits public racial segregation and discrimination and later helped bring about the passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed discriminatory voting laws against people of color that were adopted by southern states after the Civil War (britannica.com).

   King’s vision of social equality has influenced many people today. He showed that democracy doesn’t always mean freedom. Vice Principal Antwon Lincoln said, “Martin Luther King, Jr. is a reminder of what we need to do to be aware of those who don’t have a voice. He was very clear that we need to make sure that we treat people by the content of their character, not by the color of their skin.”

King influenced people to see the similarities in us all and worked to unify America during a very turbulent time in our nation’s history. According to the National Civil Rights Museum, “Dr. King understood the impact of unifying the masses in the push for one common goal. Separately, attaining any significant progress would be a challenge” (mlk50.civilrightsmuseum.org).

   King also disapproved of the use of violence. The Civil Rights Museum’s website states, “He realized that violence would play into the scheme of the opposition. He knew that violent retaliation would fit exactly into the assumed mold that many had formed regarding civil rights activists’’ (mlk50.civilrightsmuseum.org). His use of non-violence has influenced many other activists to follow in his footsteps. “[King’s] civil rights movement built a foundation for modern-day activists to fight for what’s right in a peaceful manner,” said Sophomore Liam Holmes.

   What Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. accomplished is remarkable and worth celebrating. Though his dream of total racial equality is still being worked towards, we can all help to achieve it by unifying behind one cause and following his example.