If there is one person who has managed to tie his sense of spirituality, of truth, of justice to his work, it might be Dr. Martin Luther King. King popularized the phrase, The Beloved Community, to describe his vision of the potential of our society. He could see a community in which poverty and hunger were not tolerated because our standards of decency would not allow it. He understood that discrimination could be replaced by inclusiveness.

In the words of Coretta Scott King,

We commemorate as well the timeless values he taught us through his example — the values of courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility and service that so radiantly defined Dr. King’s character and empowered his leadership. On this holiday, we commemorate the universal, unconditional love, forgiveness and nonviolence that empowered his revolutionary spirit.