NIU chose today to honor slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

But today’s lesson is one that simply must be carried every day. Racial justice shall only be achieved when people do what King did and not just repeat his immortal words.

It is those words that should ring remarkably true on this campus. NIU, like much of the world, is the perfect example for which King spoke and devoted his life.

Race relations here are far from genuine. At the same time, we all can be thankful that the attitudes are not at the other end of the spectrum.

Those attitudes are there in some hearts. Recent findings tainting King’s reputation – womanizing and plagiarism – do not take away from what the man did or what he stood for.

Everyone has a skeleton or two in the closet. King’s dirty laundry coming more than two decades after his tragic death do not alter his dream nor his message.

Just as there is trust between the races, there also are misgivings. And there are those who pretend to strive for King’s dream.

Together is the only way the dream can be realized. Together is the only way we can help each other open our eyes to the other side.

Saying there were a lot of injustices in America before and during King’s time is a bit easy. Saying there are more hard times is at best realistic.

But King didn’t give up. Neither can we.