Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech is annually celebrated on Aug. 28 but Jan. 20 is the day to recollect and evaluate the future that King had envisioned and died for.

Generations of people have been touched, inspired and changed by the words and actions of a truly great man.

They express feelings of hope, joy, freedom and knowledge. These days, some people have yet to change their mindsets since racism still exists.

Teachers of McKinley High School, who had a day off from school in honor of King, shared just what the day represented to them. English Literature teacher Thomas Favors said that America would be a much different place, it could even be worse. From the separation from Great Britain to the era of human slavery to the restriction and oppression of women, America has gone through distinct periods through its developing history. Literary teacher Irene Tanaka said that King’s day was meant to “raise awareness about him and the incredible milestone in history that he set.”

“He paved the way for blacks today,”  American Problems teacher, Leimomi Stender-Jenkins said. She said that King was an iconic leader who was fearless enough to stand and advocate for freedom. However, he was not the first or only person to do so. Jesse Jackson and Rosa Parks were both civil rights activist who worked closely with King.

King’s day and all that it represents brings up the question – do we believe that everyone is equal and what does it mean to be equal? Does it simply mean that we are all the same as one another in status or quality? Are those who are told to move their tents off the sidewalks the same as those who live in the biggest house? When we come across these questions, the law as we know it seems more like guidelines than actual rules and regulations. With the constant corruption of our criminal justice system, the number of Americans who go hungry, live without a home and  live life without being appreciated grow.

Although the problems that King fought for are, for the most part corrected, there will always be other problems. All we need are people willing enough to fix them.