I listened to a speech given by someone who knew Dr. King and who was active in the civil rights movement in the 60s…just heard this the other day. And the question was posed if he felt that Obama being elected the first African American president was the culmination of MLK’s dream, and his response was to look at it as a down payment.
King was as @JLeslie points out concerned about the economic injustices in society as well, and I’m guessing we’ve come somewhere in the 5 to 15 percent of the way when you look at the sum total of what he fought for. Yes, the idea that a black man had not been over the top of the mountain, but he had seen the other side and didn’t expect to get there, but did expect it was only a matter of time. That one specific thing, yes, having a black man elected to the highest office, that is indeed the attainment of climbing the mountaintop, or as some would say “breaking the glass ceiling”. But as long as there is socio-economic injustice against anyone, regardless of race, MLK’s dream is still a work in progress.