Dayton Daily News: Reflections on MLK Day by community leaders and academics

Charles Jones, head of Africana Studies at UC, speaks to MLK Day and man behind the legacy

The first federal Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was observed in 1986, nearly 20 years after he was killed in April 1968, and some now say Dr. King's message of love and peace is needed more than ever before. 

Dayton Daily News staff writer Wayne Baker spoke to seven Ohio leaders in the community and academia to get their take on Dr. King's message in modern terms. Among them was the University of Cincinnati's Charles Jones, head of the Department of Africana Studies.

“During this time of remembrance and reflection and call to action, people need to translate King’s dream into a reality," Jones said. "While we have made some progress, we know that there has always been a gap between what King professed and what is going on in the United States.”  

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