Today we celebrate what is probably the single-most misunderstood national holiday — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The purpose of this American holiday varies largely depending upon whom you ask — and that’s a shame.

For many people, both white and black, the holiday is simply a &uot;free day.&uot; One of those extra vacation days plugged into our work and school calendars. And yes, for some folks, it’s simply a black holiday. Those folks’ one-sided viewpoints will likely never be changed.

Others, however, realize the magnitude of King’s accomplishments and, perhaps more important, his message of hope and equality.

In the chasm that separates those two groups are various degrees of understanding on the matter.

The reason for the differences in understanding is likely less about race and more about education, or lack thereof.

Perhaps it’s that educators try to teach history from earliest to the latest — which seems logical. Eventually they run out of time and are forced to cram the last 100 years of history into a tiny amount of time. Maybe it’s something else entirely. Regardless of who we try to blame, in reality if King’s legacy is forgoteen, it’s all of our faults.

All of us who simply laugh off the holiday as a &uot;free day&uot; are teaching our children that the day, and thus King, means little.

Critics have been quick to point out King’s flaws.

Was he perfect?

Hardly. He was a man and that obviously makes him imperfect.

But what made King special, what made him worthy of devoting a special day to him is two-fold.

First, he rose to the occasion. King became the leader of what was consider by the white power brokers at the time a severe attack on their power base.

King stepped into the firestorm of the Civil Rights Era because he knew in his heart the way to win the struggle was through peaceful means.

The second reason King should be remembered by a national holiday, is that he gave his life, or more precisely it was taken from him, because of his beliefs.

By killing King, his assassin unwittingly gave King’s followers something to rally around, ensuring that King’s legacy would not quickly be forgotten.

King’s most famous speech was his &uot;I have a dream&uot; one.

Dozens of articles, stories and books have been written on whether King’s dream was ever realized.

Often when discussing this, people take a large, all-encompassing view of what the dream is. And by doing so, they tend to focus on what has not changed.

But perhaps we should try to focus on the good things that have changed since King’s assassination.

The Ku Klux Klan, who ruled the South by fear, is all but history. Now when they occasionally have a rally the police on hand to protect Klan members often outnumber Klan supporters.

Anyone can see small, but tangible evidence that King’s dream is still alive and has been realized each time you see people of all races living peacefully together.

And King’s dream will continue through education and through parents teaching their children that all men and women are equal, regardless of color. And it will be realized completely when everyone begins to accept Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day as an American holiday and not just as a black holiday.

Kevin Cooper is managing editor of The Democrat. He can be reached at (601) 445-3541 or at kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.