Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I am reminded all the time by his life, by his courage, his love, that I can be better. I can be bigger. I can be kinder." — Maya Angelou

As the nation celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, take some time to think about what his life has meant for yours. Following are the thoughts of other Americans:

"I would not be who I am or where I am if it were not for not just Martin Luther King, Jr., but people of all colors who were willing to sacrifice, who were courageous enough to give their time and their energy to ensure that we all have a fair chance in America." — Cornel West

"Dr. King often said that we need to have tough minds and tender hearts. I think that's what's so extraordinary about Dr. King and so inspiring to us — that he had that."

"I remember in elementary school they played a tape of his speech, and one phrase in particular stuck out in my head. It was, 'I have a dream that one day [my little girl] will be judged not by the color of [her] skin, but by the content of [her] character.' "

"I have immense gratitude for what he did and for what people of that generation went through. I wasn't alive when he was going through the challenges and the civil rights actions. I put him on the same level as some other forefathers of our country, because he really did a lot to make our country what it is."

"Dr. King is not only a political inspiration, he is not only a social inspiration, he is a spiritual inspiration. He is saying, do not look away from injustice, do not look away from the violence — look to the possibilities that lie beyond it. Make a stand for those possibilities, no matter what injustice is being perpetrated by whom. Refuse to hate the perpetrator. Refuse to hate the human being."

The black and white photographs seen in today's segment are from King: A Photobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Cornel West's book is The African-American Century.

From the show Wishes in Black and White

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