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With the annual MLK holiday coming up on Monday, LaGrange is set to host the Martin Luther King Jr. Parade on Saturday. The parade is making its return after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

For many, the holiday is just another three-day weekend, but it shouldn’t be. It should be a time to reflect on our past, how far we have come and how far we still have to go.

The parade and many others held across the country in honor of Dr. King are a celebration of his life and his work. Nearly 60 years after he gave his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, many of King’s dreams now ring true.

King’s call for justice, brotherhood and unity has largely been answered, but not for all. We passed the Civil Rights Act. Schools from sea to shining sea are integrated. In Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners frequently sit down together to break bread in brotherhood.

But we still find reasons to hate. Reasons to hurt each other. Reasons to maintain racial divisions.

On April 4, 1968, a few years after he gave the iconic speech, Dr. King’s life was taken when he was shot on a balcony at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, but his dream was not taken away that day.

As we celebrate King’s life or mourn his death, it’s hard not to wonder what he would think about the progress we have made since his death and our failures. King would have been 93 years old this year.

During the parade on Saturday or as you enjoy your day off on Monday, join us in remembering the civil rights leader who helped change the world and reflect on the progress made and the work needed to keep his dream a reality.