We’re not sure why we didn’t have school Monday.

It’s not that we don’t appreciate what Dr. King did for the civil rights movement; we absolutely think he deserves a day in his honor.

Racism permeates our culture every bit as much as in countries abroad. We’ll spare you examples from abroad and lay one on you directly from home. Current members of congress still openly question the citizenship of our half-black commander-in-chief, and pundits don’t hesitate to associate the word “Muslim” with him in a pejorative fashion.

Is this the direct, to the point racism you might expect to find south of the Mason-Dixon line? No, but diet racism still tastes like the real thing, no matter how low the calories go.

We’re not sure why the university didn’t stay open and offer some commemorative events on campus. Some big event in the Great Hall, or a few screenings of films in our auditoriums, perhaps.

Dearest administration, lest ye hath forgotten, three-day weekends during playoff season mean an extra day of laziness and, for many, drinking. A completely unofficial, poorly-tallied word-of-mouth straw poll we took the liberty of conducting indicates that the reflection on MLK day for most of our compatriots was not upon the ramifications of past racism and segregation, but the kind found in the ivory waters of the nearest lavatory.

Broaden our horizons, please.

There was a nice story on Sunday’s 60 Minutes regarding the MLK memorial under construction in Washington, D.C. We figure a $120 million memorial to the only non-president on the National Mall is a pretty big deal.

There’s a statue of Rev. King’s likeness underway, along with large granite walls inscribed with his poignant, brave words spoken during the civil rights movement. It’s also still under-funded by $20 million and, as with most construction, behind schedule. We’ll dazzle you with links and videos online.

If we’re hypocritical for being fans of a stone monument in lieu of a day of commemoration used as another excuse for a federal sabbatical, we’re all right with that. We have this sneaking suspicion Rev. King would rather have us tending to our studies.