Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivering a speech in Montgomery, Alabama, on March 25, 1965. (Stephen F. Somerstein / Getty Images)

Decades later, warring interpretations of one of King’s most famous quotes have fueled a culture war over the merits of affirmative action and diversity and inclusion efforts.

Coretta Scott King was interviewed on WTTW in 1978. (WTTW)

Coretta Scott King discusses her husband's legacy during a 1978 interview on WTTW. 

President Joe Biden speaks as he and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with organizers of the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington on Aug. 28, 2023. (Susan Walsh / AP)

While meeting with civil rights leaders at the White House, including family members of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the president cautioned against the growing trend in red states across the nation – including Florida – of restricting the teaching of Black history.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, second from right, joins Martin Luther King III, the son of Martin Luther King Jr., third from left, his wife Arndrea Waters King and their daughter Yolanda King as they march to honor the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo / Jacquelyn Martin)

A host of Black civil rights leaders and a multiracial, interfaith coalition of allies rallied attendees on the same spot where as many as 250,000 gathered in 1963 for what is still considered one of the greatest and most consequential racial justice and equality demonstrations in U.S. history.

Archival footage of Martin Luther King Jr.

In the 55 years since his death, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is often quoted and revered, an icon. But in the new book “King: A Life,” author Jonathan Eig draws King as “a man, not a saint, not a symbol” — delivering far more nuance than history has allowed.

Passers-by walk near the 20-foot-high bronze sculpture "The Embrace," a memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, in the Boston Common, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, in Boston. The sculpture, consisting of four intertwined arms, was inspired by a photo of the Kings embracing when MLK learned he had won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. The statue is to be unveiled during ceremonies Friday, Jan. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Annual tributes and commemorations of the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., which begin nationwide on Friday, typically include a mix of politics, faith and community service.

(WTTW News)

Over 50 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. marched through the park and hundreds gathered to fight for fair housing. How the community has changed since then.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson poses for a photo on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, in Los Angeles. The NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, will soon celebrate its 113th birthday, which its leaderships said comes as it undergoes a restructuring to reflect a membership and leadership that is trending younger. (AP Photo / Richard Vogel)

The nation’s oldest civil rights organization’s birthday next month comes as it undergoes a restructuring to reflect a membership and leadership that is trending younger, to people in their mid-30s. As a result, it is adding endeavors like producing TV streaming content for CBS.

(PBS / Florentine Films)

Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. Day coincided with the first celebration of Muhammad Ali Day in Illinois on what would have been the champion boxer and civil rights activist's 80th birthday.

(WTTW News)

Steve Schapiro started out as a freelance photographer in the early 1960s and was on hand for many of the decade's historic moments, whether the 1963 March on Washington or Robert F. Kennedy's presidential run in 1968. The Chicago resident's work appeared in Time, Rolling Stone, Life and other publications.

In a long exposure photo, lights from a snowplow illuminate sleet at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. Ceremonies scheduled for the site on Monday, to mark the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday, have been canceled because of the weather. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

“It’s time for every elected official in America to make it clear where they stand," President Joe Biden said. “It’s time for every American to stand up. Speak out, be heard. Where do you stand?”

Here in Chicago, Dr. King led the Chicago freedom movement to fight for open and affordable housing. (Courtesy “American Experience: Eye on the Prize”)

The nation marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday. Dr. King led the Chicago freedom movement to fight for open and affordable housing. United Way of Metro Chicago will hold a Zoom webinar where local Tik-Tok star and urban historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas will share some facts about the movement.

(Andy Watson / Bull Stock)

Bull riders, Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations, craft cocktails and a musical parody usher in the weekend. Here are a dozen things to do in and around Chicago.

Martin Luther King Jr. photograph by Bernard Kleina. (Courtesy of the Elmhurst Art Museum)

A new exhibit at the Elmhurst Art Museum is using photography to explore Chicago’s fair housing history and features rare color photos of Martin Luther King Jr. during the Chicago Freedom Movement.

The Garfield Park Conservatory’s 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. tribute. (Courtesy of Garfield Park Conservatory)

The Garfield Park Conservatory is celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day virtually, with a look back at past tributes.   

(WTTW News)

On the 55th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s arrival in Chicago’s Lawndale neighborhood, we revisit the work he did to end slum conditions and combat discriminatory housing practices.