Is King Still King?


Yes and No. It's seems that all men of historical significance seem to loose their potency over time. It is not as if the citizens of today have lost the ability to understand what these men and their actions represented, but we can no longer relate to the very specifics of what they did. Martin Luther King Jr has entered into this place in popular culture; a figure and martyr for a time period in American History, who has come to represent an ideal instead of his own history. Today his exact actions represent much less than they did in 1960's racial torn America. With segregation no longer having a physical manifestation such as two public restrooms for each race, much of what he fought for has been won. His words specificity do not have the relatablility they may have once had. 
There exists an appreciation for the in depth and learned history of great leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. who's life is full of events, times, details, which need to be studied to build a comprehensive and enlightened understanding. None the less, this is an appreciation, rather, an affection for history, and fewer people belong to this club. 
For the rest of mankind this lack of specificity has transcended Martin Luther King, like the men who study history, to a new club. As with many other men and women of history, the trivialities of time and location come to represent a much grander concept. To most people today Martin Luther King Jr. embodies the protest of continuing racial inequalities in the United States. Furthermore, globally he has come to be an icon for the brotherhood of all men existing as equals.
His name and image if not charging us with the vitality and confidence necessary to overcome the continuing injustices of man, represent at least a reminder that there comes a time when humans reexamine what is righteous and just. They protest. They fight with everything they have. These are a time for brotherhood. His being, even if only in pictures, text, and recordings continues to give inspiration for a better nation, world, and self. King Is Still King, and will be as long as we remind ourselves of those who represent the good in mankind.