On January 18th, Americans celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his tremendous impact and legacy. In what is arguably one of the greatest speeches in history, he shared a vision for what the future of America might look like. Dr. King had a dream that one day a person’s race would not matter, we would all be treated as equals, and each of us celebrated for the gifts we bring regardless of color.

Unfortunately, almost 60 years later, that dream still has not come true.

In the wake of supporters of President Donald Trump storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6, the fault line of race in America was made crystal clear. To illustrate this, just imagine for a moment that members of the BLM movement had attempted this kind of a stunt. I don’t know about you, but I doubt they would get the same peaceful escort this group of insurrectionists received.

It is during events such as those on the sixth that we are reminded of what Dr. King stood and fought and died for, and why, especially now, it is important for all of us to continue to fight for that dream of reconciliation and equality.

The words from King’s famous 1963 “Letter from Birmingham Jail” seem to be calling to us all: “Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be coworkers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation. We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.”

Dr. King and his dream are still relevant. All of us, every ethnicity, every faith, every color must come to the table to be part of that vision, part of the solution, part of the dream. It is no doubt hard work but think, as Dr. King did, what the future could look like.