Happy birthday Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr; today we celebrate you as an activist, as a revolutionary, as a leader, as a humanitarian, and as a man who believed in something so much that he willingly gave his life for it. Even though we continue to sanitize and in some cases bastardize your message, your impact continues to be felt all across the world today.

Was Dr. King a Civil Rights activist fighting for the rights of Black People? Absolutely. But let’s not forget that he was also a man who stood against violence, who stood against war, who stood against poverty, and who stood in front of the world and declared that America had failed to deliver on its promise to the people. He was also a humanitarian and a coalition builder who fought for people at home and abroad.

So while you’re at your day of service, while you’re repping your organization on the MLK march,while you’re doing your staged sit-ins and protest before going back home to your nice comfortable life; take a moment to reflect on who Dr. King was and what he ultimately stood for; and then ask yourself – Have you ever believed in a cause so much that you would be willing to lay your life down for it?

Dr. King the man is no more; but his work has not been completed yet.

You can not assassinate a spirit, you can only kill a man. Long Live the King… ~ Sean King