Among his many roles, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an educator. Though his most famous messages came from the pulpit and the podium, the civil rights leader also briefly led in the classroom and often spoke on education. 

Dr. King cared deeply about the role of education in social justice. On this federal holiday celebrating his life and legacy, activists and scholars share their thoughts on whether education is fulfilling Dr. King's vision today.

Photo: Todd Heisler

In the fall of 1959, Ciro Scala, just out of high school, was commuting to a clerical job in Times Square from Staten Island and also going to City College. Sometimes, he would get home past midnight.

The commute and work ultimately proved too much, causing Scala to drop out. Fifty years later, he returned, earning two degrees and the respect of younger students.

College is resuming this month across America in a tense and bumpy sequence of openings—in person here, remote there—and shadowed everywhere by the threat of the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus. 

Meanwhile, students and professors worry about the public health risks of staying open and the educational risks of pausing.