It's a national holiday Monday in the United States as they celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday.
As a result of the power of Dr. King's conviction to fight injustice, the way he lived his life, and the impact it has had on society today is immeasurable.
As he once said, "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
Dr. King's famous speech in August of 1963 has strange connection to basketball as former NCAA head coach George Raveling, who was a youngster working security that day, actually now possesses the speech after simply asking Dr. King for a copy.
You can hear what some prominent basketball types have to say about King's impact, and like Phil Jackson, I too remember the evening Dr. King was assassinated.
It was the first time I had seen grown people cry and that left an indelible mark on me.
Watch Raptors vs. Hornets live Monday on Sportsnet ONE at 3 p.m. ET.
A look back at ESPN's discussion at their town hall meeting in Atlanta provides a look into the varying opinions into today's society.
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From a sports perspective you can see first hand what the results of Dr. King's legacy has been.
Opportunities have been granted to all minorities, from both racial and gender perspectives, that were previously only dreams. One example is Phoenix Suns general manager Lance Blanks.
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The intertwining of race and sports, or race and any walk of life for that matter, is a complicated one and a long discussion for another time.
You can witness some of the discussion from ESPN's town hall meeting on LeBron James' popularity since moving from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat and how the perception of him has been influenced by the fact that he is a minority. Race will always be a factor, as is gender, age or any number of variables in a discussion, but when it becomes the overriding factor, now that's a problem.
Racism needs only a small opening to jump in and camouflage itself in other variables in any conversation. From a personal standpoint, I didn't like the way LeBron James handled "The Decision" but I find it curious that his popularity took such a large dip.
Did his popularity dive because of the way he announced his move to Miami, probably. But to look past race and say it wasn't a factor and ignore it is also incorrect.
I scratch my head slightly because he did nothing immoral or nothing illegal with "The Decision."
Was it ill conceived? Yes, but that's it.
But back to what Monday is about.
What impact did Dr. King's life have on me? Well, it's too far reaching to chronicle in this space, but I watched with my parents and my younger brother, who now holds a post similar to mine, on our old, grainy black-and-white TV the events of the 1960s evolve in front of us nightly. I viewed and lived some of what was happening with the civil rights movement in the United States. Observing Dr. King leading the charge only served to underscore the message that the role models in my life, my parents, were trying to have both my brother and I understand.
Unlike the players in the game I follow most closely now, I lived through the time period where three of the world's most prominent leaders who stood for social change (Dr. King, United States President John F. Kennedy and his brother Senator Robert F. Kennedy) were unseated from their respective paths and the goal they were trying to reach.
It inspired me, as I became older to learn more about what Dr. King stood for and to try and understand the issues surrounding social change.
For that, I feel I'm a better person.
Let's just say this: where liberty and equality are concerned, minorities and their involvement in sports seems to help them express a small component of freedom, be it racial or even political.
But, sports should not be where it ends when it comes to making changes in our society where equity, in all areas, is concerned.
The words from Dr. King's famous "I Have A Dream Speech" should forever resonate with everyone.
Always try to judge people by nothing else but the content of their character.
Below: Paul Jones and Eric Smith preview Monday's Raptors-Hornets matinee in New Orleans
