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.”  

Read more.

Related Stories

1

UC biologist talks about 'pearmageddon'

March 16, 2026

WLWT talks to UC biologist and Department Head Theresa Culley about invasive, nonnative Callery pear trees that are spreading across Ohio forests after they were introduced by landscapers more than 50 years ago.

3

Pi Day: Where math meets dessert

March 12, 2026

Pi Day is celebrated on March 14 around the world, as March 14 represents its first three numbers, 3.14. It’s a yearly celebration for math lovers to see who can recite the most digits, talk about its history and have an excuse to eat many, many pies! First, the math: PI is the Greek letter “π” and it is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant, as it is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. It has been calculated to over 50 trillion digits beyond its decimal point and will continue to repeat, as it is an irrational and transcendent number.