“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.'”

These words of Martin Luther King, Jr., in his famous “I have a dream” speech, should be familiar to all of us. But looking back, as we celebrate his birthday and the 30th anniversary of his death, do we really understand the incredible importance of what he did?

King lived in an era of unbelievable bigotry. Civil rights for African Americans, especially in the South, were unheard of. Blacks did not sit with whites, eat with whites, or learn with whites, and they certainly did not vote with whites.

But King would not tolerate a world in which people were “judged by the color of their skin,” so he did all he could to change law and sentiment throughout America.

Between 1955 and 1968, King led countless protests. He demonstrated against bus segregation, led the march from Selma to Montgomery for civil rights, and he organized the March on Washington in 1965, where he delivered “I have a dream.”

In his short life, King also watched President Lyndon Johnson sign the Voting Rights Act into law and, in 1964, he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

King would fight until his dream was realized, without harming anyone in his crusade — except himself. King was assaulted, stabbed, stoned, bombed, arrested and jailed during his protests.

However, he pressed on, never fearing for his own life or retaliating against those who physically harmed him.

In 1968, on April 4, King was assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tenn. This marked the end of his life, but not the end of his dream.

Have we realized King’s dream in this country?

Civil rights acts and progressive laws would have us believe so, but racism is still prevalent.

Today, racism is covert. It’s hidden under an enlightened populace, who are supposedly “above” prejudice.

But how often do you see a black person and a white person walking together or eating together? Blacks and whites clearly do not live together in harmony. Yet.

Martin Luther King, Jr. can no longer protest racism in our society. But we can. It’s up to us to fight prejudice, so King’s dream can someday be realized.

“I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

“I have a dream today.”