Wednesday marked the 39th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Over the past four decades, there have been repeated calls for black leaders to step into the void left in the wake of his murder. But rather than waiting for someone else to assume the mantle of leadership, we must all individually take responsibility for being leaders in our own right, because there will never be another Martin Luther King Jr. That's what I wrote yesterday.

Here's some of what our readers had to say about this. To see the DiversityInc video interview with Soledad O'Brien on this, click here:

I totally agree with the opinion of this article. There can be no one like Dr. M.L. King.  Others can become movers and shakers for social justice in their own way.  When the Creator made each and every one of us, She made each from a different mould, body mind and spirit.  Instead of trying to fill a person's shoes, we should encourage each other to take the path less traveled. Chances are that is the unique path for you.

—Beatrice Watson

I thank you so much for this article. It is important for everyone to acknowledge the history of this time in which Dr. King lived. This acknowledgement should give us all a since of commitment to our fellow man, and to those of us that are African American, we should cherish his legacy. His legacy should be adopted by us to do everything we can in the African American community to relay this era of Dr. King to our next generations that are coming behind us. With what is happening today in our communities, seem to show that we have forgotten history, and the triumphs we have made since Dr. King left us. It is my hope that we look back at this history, and take our proper place in today's times!

—Walter Tomlinson

It will take an equally courageous person, male or female, to instill in all of us that we must take care of our youth, each other and our future. It will take that same courage to let all who are in less than ideal places that they have the responsibility to move themselves up too.  It is no longer up to someone else to take care of their problems. 

We cannot allow random shootings, death from drugs, teenage pregnancies, abandoned children, inexcusable housing. We cannot be afraid of the truth-- we are sometimes our own worst enemy.

This is not a diversity or minority issue.  We cannot allow this for anyone.  We must coalesce and bring about change; which is what Dr. Martin Luther King wanted.  I did not hear "I have a dream" to be about only the black populace. It was about the future of our great multicultural and hued nation.

The more we put a color to the faces that experience deprivation; the more we splinter the available resources of manpower, dollars, faith and drive of the people that want to see change.

I want to see change for all; and I want to see those able to forward this to be of all colors and able to help all colors, races, creeds. Enough about it being about race. It is no longer a color issue:  we cannot afford to make this partisan. We must be strategic and comfortable to join each other to help each other and not just our own kind. Hold everyone accountable to see beyond and PLEASE report on positive developments; not just negative.

—Linda Simpson

We live in an era in which people are quite engulfed into their own world and their own agenda. Few people today are self-less to the extent that Dr. King was.  So, few would be able to rise to the occasion, even those who say they are willing.   Most do not have what it takes. 

That is why we will never have another Dr. King.

—William Saunders

Inequities now are mostly class, not race. "Racism" against black people exists, still, and I am not denying that. BUT, those police attack white people who look a certain way, too. And what about the countless number of black-on-white hate crimes, which go unreported as "racially motivated"? It's a double edged sword.

MLK was for judgment on character, and not seeing skin color. Most of today's "black leaders" OVERPLAY the race card, in instances where it does not apply, and they actually fuel the fire of racism, more than they help either side. And no, I don't believe opportunities are determined by skin color that often, now. Sometimes, yes. Mostly, though, it's a liberal myth. You see more and more black people going to school and getting higher paying jobs.

Opportunity because of lower education is a problem. But not hiring someone who's less educated is not discrimination. The education system definitely needs a reform, but I see that as a lower-class thing, rather than an exclusive "black issue".

—John Johnson

Your article was very much on point!   Soledad O'Brien had the distinct honor to actually hold these papers, and communicate to us.   Through her feelings, we only need to heighten the honor and prestige of this man, who unlike today, could speak from plain pieces of paper, napkins, etc. and move the nation, and the world.  

—J. T. White Jr.

I have often asked myself why we continue to look outside ourselves to create social change. It is a waste of precious time and energy. We all need to realize that each of us is the "one we have been waiting for." Alice Walker's book of meditations of the subject should be a must read for anyone who thinks that somewhere out there is a savior in the 'universal struggle for wisdom, justice and peace'. The answers to these struggles will be found in and between each of us, if we are willing to listen, trust and act.
—Delorme McKee-Stovall

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