Just before his death, Martin Luther King realized that no threat to human dignity anywhere in the world could be excluded from his crusade. He committed himself to battle all facets of the enemy-- racism, poverty, and war. In this, his final statement, the issues remain vital-- the impasse in race relations, the neglect of the inner cities, the moral deterioration of our society through the war, the corruption of our values by acts of destruction. King argues that protest marches and sit-ins are not powerful enough to uproot entrenched evil and that mass civil disobedience must be the next tactic to force profound and necessary change.

It is this dream of achieving freedom and justice for all people, of a nonviolent but determined revolution, that constitutes King’s final vision. Concluding with “A Christmas Sermon for Peace,” Dr. King urges us toward the realization of his dream. “It will be a glorious day,” he declares. “The morning stars will sing together, and the sons of God will shout for joy.”