Today is a good reason to start blogging again.

Today most people celebrate and remember Martin Luther King and his efforts as a civil rights activist, and rightly so. But spend some time today reading some of his speeches and essays. His famous I Have a Dream speech is the one most people know, or at least know parts of. My favorite line? “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." It is such a well-crafted piece of writing that it is often cited as the best speech ever given.

I urge you to read it again and look at how his word choice and rhetorical devices deliver his message. His repetitive metaphorical references to a bad check – something his audience was well aware of – is masterful. “It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’” Every word was not just plucked out of the air, but carefully chosen to deliver his message in a way that spoke to his audience.

Read some of his other works today. Some are longer than others. A Testament of Hope and Letter from a Birmingham Jail are two that I’d recommend. His extended metaphors and Biblical allusions hold me in awe.

And celebrating King today in particular – two days before our country’s tradition of a peaceful transition of power – is important. King believed in peaceful protest and education as a means to rise above poverty. Almost 53 years ago, King’s words were so feared that an assassin tried to squelch them by killing him. But his message – his words – live on. King’s words truly are proof that “the pen is mightier than the sword.”