Martin Luther King, Jr: The Peaceful Warrior Remembered

I can't listen to Martin's "I have a dream" speech, or his final, hauntingly prophetic  "I have been to the mountaintop" speech without choking up, each and every time I hear his magnificent, powerful, stirring delivery of two truly beautiful orations.

He is one of my heroes.

As we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day today, many of us are pausing to reflect on and remember the power and wisdom of a man with a vision, a man with courage, a man with a hunger and thirst for justice, a man with faith and, above all, a man with love.

“Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.” ~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

May his words of non-violence, equality and true brotherhood forever ring out down all the years until we finally and completely embrace them and may we never be afraid to do what's right for both humans and animals alike.