“Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: – ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”

These are the words of one of the most known historical figure in U.S. history. A man who was not only brave, but determined as well. A man that made a huge impact on the way people thought during one of the darkest eras in American history. These are the words of Martin Luther King Jr.

Although it will be 44 years since his death this April, his strong words still live on, as the nation was reminded on Jan. 16 or the day of this years Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The Civil Rights movement may have been large, but nobody was able to express the issue at hand as King could. “There were other important people in the Civil Rights Movement,” said CHS history teacher Donna Rogers-Beard. “However, no one was able to articulate the struggle in the way that he was able.”

Although King’s birthday was actually on Jan. 15, the holiday is always held on the third Monday of the month and many people observed the day and his legacy through volunteer projects and memorial services.

In fact, right here in St. Louis there were several events to pay tribute to King including a celebration lecture led by Charles Ogletree, a Harvard professor that taught Barack and Michelle Obama. Local colleges including UMSL and Webster hosted service activities throughout the day  and St. Louis Volunteen hosted a Basketball Clinic at the Center of Clayton.

Although numerous events and projects took place many students and adults treated the holiday as just another day off and chose not to volunteer their time. King would have wanted everybody to get out and make a difference for others, seeing as that was what he risked his life for every day. And, to the man that once said “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?'” this was a major disservice.

While it may have been nice to have a three day weekend, it is also nice to look back at King’s life to remind everybody that didn’t attend a march or complete a service project this MLK day to get out and continue his legacy. At 33, he worked with John F. Kennedy to address the Civil Rights the U.S. was in desperate need of. At 34, he awed people black and white with his speech made from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, titled “I Have a Dream.” And at 35, he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Martin Luther King’s impact was so large that not only do we have a federal holiday in his commemoration, as of August there now stands a 30 foot tall monument of King in the National Mall. He is the first non-president to be honored in the area, as well as the first African American. The message of the memorial is that King is emerging from what’s called the stone of hope while leaving behind [what he himself called] the mountain of despair.

It is with strong words like that that King has inspired millions of people across the world. And, with the help of MLK day, a monument in D.C., and his awe-inspiring message King’s dream has lived on, and to many this article is a reminder that there are still things to get out and fight for. “Dr. King is an international hero,” said Rogers-Beard. “He is responsible for the positive trajectory of human rights throughout the world.”