I got to wondering where we would be if Martin Luther King, Jr. had never shown up. (I know there were others agitating for change but none caught up the spirit of America, and therefore its conscience, as he did.) Would the civil rights movement have happened? Would the Black populations today be able to vote, without fee or penalty, to live where they please, to date whom they wish, marry those whom they love? Or would we still be limping along, never voicing our discomfort at the inequities?

It is a hopeful thought that somehow Civilazation raises the figures that are essential. I look forward with anticipation and hope that we will recognize her/him/them when they come.