"Darkness cannot drive our darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that" ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Today the world honours Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the amazing dreams that he brought to us all.  He touched the lives of many people in his drive for social justice, freedom, human dignitiy and civil rights.  Without a doubt, we all owe a debt a gratitude for the sacrifice that he made to improve the human experience.

In the vision of Dr. King, we believe that recognition is important for everyone, not only exceptional individuals, but it's interesting to see how he was recognized during his lifetime and beyond:

• Recognized by Time Magazine as one of the most outstanding personalities of the year, 1957
• The Spingarn Medal from NAACP, 1957.
• The Russwurm Award from the National Newspaper Publishers, 1957.
• The Second Annual Achievement Award - The Guardian Association of the Police Department of New York, 1958.
• Magazine of New Dehli recognized Dr. King as one of the sixteen world leaders who had contributed most to the advancement of freedom during 1959.
• Named American of the Decade by Laundry, Dry Cleaning, and Die Workers International Union, 1963.
• The John Dewey Award, from the United Federation of Teachers, 1964.
• The John F. Kennedy Award, from the Catholic Interracial Council of Chicago, 1964.
• The Nobel Peace Prize, 1964
• American Liberties Medallion for his “exceptional advancements of the principles of human liberty” from the American Jewish Committee, 1965
• Margaret Sanger Award from Planned Parenthood Federation of America, 1966
• The Marcus Garvey Prize for Human Rights, presented by the Jamaican Government. (posthumously) 1968.
• The Rosa L. Parks Award, presented by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. (posthumously) 1968.
• Presidential Medal of Freedom from Jimmy Carter, (posthumously, 1977)

People such as Dr. King are a rare breed of true heroes that change the world, however we all encounter different types of heroes in our lives everyday.  They are the dreamers and doers within our communities, working hard to make the world a better place.

Do you know of heroes within your community that deserve some recognition for their efforts?