Despite the fact that it may not feel like it, the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr – his activism, his community-building, and his leadership – was only mere decades ago. The shame and evil of segregation, of division, was such a short time ago that many of our nation’s grandparents can still tell us what it was like before legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964. There’s a lot to be said for the work that Dr. King and his movement did for our country, but today, more than ever, his message of unity and cooperation rings truest in these troubling times.

Dr. King was not one to mince words. Despite how he might have differed in his approach in the fight for justice than some of his contemporaries like Malcolm X, Dr. King was very clear about the evil of segregation, of racism, and how it weakened us all when we participated in it. It’s why his coalition, his movement, his followers, did not belong to one skin tone or ethnicity. It resonated with people of all backgrounds and histories, because it spoke to an innate truth, we all have: the path forward is together.

Today, we see division play out in the public scene that we haven’t in many years. For many, we’re seeing the struggles of political, social, economic divides and the conflicts they invite play out on the public stage for the first time in generations. This country is never nothing if not always a work in progress; it’s what calls to it the best of the best, each and every year, to enjoy its bounty, share in its success, and contribute to a legacy stretching nearly 245 years. And in the midst of the outcry, of the heartache, of the struggle, I reflect on a speech Dr. King gave in St. Louis, Missouri, at one of his many rallies for justice: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish as fools.” When following the likes of Dr. King, we as living, breathing Americans have quite the legacy to live up to. But I believe it can be made so, just like Dr. King did.