The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was by far the greatest civil rights leader ever.  There are few, if any, people who would contest this.

But despite all his great accomplishments in his short life, is his legacy truly being shown in the 21st century?  

Discrimination is still rampant in our society particularly in business no matter what companies say.  There are few leaders of color in high ranking executive positions and everyday 'typical' discrimination plagues the business landscape.

These are issues that Federal law had hoped to solve but despite how well they are enforced, they are insignificant to large corporations who could care less about a small fine that comes years after the complaint is alleged.

Fast track discrimination investigations and enforcement should be the norm.  All too often companies can skirt the issue for years through litigation and then when the actual enforcement comes to bear upon them they fight every step of the way.  It's always a bittersweet victory for the victim.

So what can Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. tell us that will aid us in this fight for equality?  He has always preached non-violent yet high-visibility displays to focus on civil rights.  That's what we must do here.

Companies, especially multi-national corporations, are more focused on public image than anytime in our history.  They spend millions on commercials and donations just to set an 'image'.  Take Denny's for example.  They were accused by many African-American patrons of being racist.  This year Denny's made a one-million dollar donation to the National Civil Rights Museum...and subsequently aired commercials about their good deed.

The public can force companies to do anything they want.  After all, people are what keep business in business not the other way around.  It's time for all Americans to get off the recliner and make change happen before companies make it for us.