Monday was the day our nation sets aside to honor the memory and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Normally, we — like many newspapers — are quick to quote Dr. King’s famous “I have a dream” speech and then wax poetically about how we need his dream to live on or about how much has changed since Dr. King’s life was so tragically cut short.

While both of those statements are true, we’re going to focus today not on something that Dr. King said 40 years ago, but instead on something said less than 40 hours ago.

The modern words, perhaps better than any others, truly embody Dr. King’s underlying mission.

The words were spoken at Sunday night’s meeting of the Natchez-Adams County Chapter of the NAACP.

Zelmarine Anderson Murphy, who happens to be Mrs. Alcornite 2007, said that while often we speak of Dr. King’s dream, for her the reality of modern life is a nightmare.

“I look at us as a people today and I am concerned about the lack of response in our community. It is frightening and troubling me.

“There are two kinds of people in this world. Not black and white, not rich and poor, but those who are educated with a marketable skill and those who are not.

“Why are we not involved in our children’s education?”

Powerful words.

We thought they were so powerful, so meaningful — for people of all races, creeds and economic backgrounds — that they were worth repeating here.

Dr. King’s dream and his passion are alive and well inside Murphy’s heart.

Are they alive in yours?