"I want young men and women who are not alive today... to know and see that these new privileges and opportunities did not come without somebody suffering and sacrificing for them"
"Whatever, nigga."
The above is the opening to an episode of the animated series The Boondocks entitled "Return of the King". It's a pretty powerful statement of how the sacrifices of some can be all but forgotten.

Rapper Heavy D echoed a similar sentiment on the track "Letter to the Future" off his 1991 album Peaceful Journey:

-Martin Luther King had a dream...
-Who cares?
-That's exactly what turned his dream into a nightmare.

Hopefully apathy will not undue all that Dr. King and others have worked for.

I recommend you check out that episode of The Boondocks--it's one of my favorites and is both humorous and poignant. Last year I think I summed up my thoughts on Dr. King and this day pretty well, so I won't reiterate it all here again. Have a read, if you're interested.

I encourage you to take a moment and watch, listen, or read his "I have a dream" speech. Let it remind you why we have a day in celebration of this man.

I also encourage you to check out a very poignant story posted last year on Bill Harris' Dubious Quality blog about his young son and Martin Luther King Day. It's not particularly long and tugs on your heart-strings just right. Give "To Remember" a read, it's worth it.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so 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."