A Baptist minister, man of deep faith and the patriarch of the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used nonviolent activism in the face of racial segregation to effect change and thwart injustice at its most volatile. He gave voice to the disenfranchised and discriminated, his short 39 years dedicated to delivering a message of love, unity and equality.

Now, more than a half-century removed from his death, the importance of that message rings as true as ever. Unity has never been more vital, and too often the idea of simply being good and decent to our fellow brother or sister in this life — regardless of race, socio-economic status, religious affiliation and political leanings — is forgotten.

King was a once-in-a-lifetime orator and activist, whose wisdom and civility, dignity and discipline, was paramount to the necessary movement he shouldered. It was essential “to make justice a reality for all of God’s children,” as the good doctor said. Many strides have been made, and it will continue to be a work in progress.

So let’s work.

We recognize the life of Dr. King every third Monday of January. Social media is flooded with the multitude of quotes from the man whose words weighed so heavy, the preacher knowing they would outlive him. It was a call not only to his generation, but the next, and the one after that. Events are held as a tribute to his life and legacy, and a reminder of where we have been and where we want, and need, to be.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

These are oft-quoted passages that have been instilled in the American lexicon. It’s so easy to quote them, but instead of simply tweeting them or sharing them on Facebook or Instagram, let’s put them in our hearts and minds, and understand just how universal and applicable those ideas still are. And, most importantly, let’s heed those words and use them as a call to action, a way to effect our own positive change, big and small.

The Clinton-Sampson Chamber of Commerce’s Multi-Cultural Business Committee will hold its 20th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Business Reception this Monday, Jan. 20, a way of honoring King and others who strive to emulate his word and deed every day.

King led a boycott of segregated buses in Alabama, initiated sit-in protests across the South, marched in Selma and was the face of 1963’s March on Washington, where he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech to some 250,000 people. In that famous speech, he talked about his dream that his four small children “will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” It was, he said, a dream rooted in the American dream.

The following year, the Civil Rights Act was passed. The year after that, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 restored and protected voting rights for minorities. In the midst of all that, King became the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

On Feb. 4, 1968, just two months before he was assassinated, King eschewed the accolades. He wanted only for his message of love and humanity to live on.

He was delivering a sermon deemed “The Drum Major Instinct” from the pulpit of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where he was baptized as a boy, ordained as a teenager and co-pastored with his father until his death. A mere two months later, his funeral would be held at the same church.

“We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade,” he said. “The quest for recognition, this desire for attention, this desire for distinction is the basic impulse, the basic drive of human life, this drum major instinct.”

He told parishioners, in the event of his funeral, they should not mention his Nobel Peace Prize, his education, his many awards. It wasn’t important. Instead, say that he tried to give his life serving others, that he tried to love somebody.

“Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. But I just want to leave a committed life behind.”

Let us strive to do the same.