An indefatigable soldier. Martin Luther King Jr. set example for freedom, justice, equality.

Judson L. Jeffries is a professor of African American and African studies at Ohio State University. He is a regular contributor to the Columbus Dispatch

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the world’s most famous 20th century figures.

With all the commemorations in the form of breakfasts, brunches, lunches, and dinners named in his honor every January, one might surmise that 56 years after his assassination, his thinking and example have become by now part of the American ethos.

Wishful think on my part, I know!

What I admire most about King was his selflessness, humility, and sense of altruism.

Early on —before he earned his doctorate — King believed he was being called to dedicate his life to others, to humankind as it were.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was selfless, humble, and altruistic

Although I have spoken to men and women who knew King personally and marched and worked with him, I don’t pretend to know how he envisioned his life unfolding.

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But those to whom I have spoken, many gave me the distinct impression they believed Martin King was special, that he was not going to be like many Baptist preachers of that era whose Sunday sermons often featured the afterlife at the expense of the here-and-now.

Like the Rev. Vernon Johns, the man he replaced at Dexter Avenue Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama, King was selfless, humble, and altruistic.

For example, at the time King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of thirty-five he was the youngest person so named and only the 12th American to receive the prestigious honor.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did the work

When I was in my 20s and 30s, I encountered scores of other young professionals in various industries who talked about the importance of service to others, about volunteering in the communities from which they hailed or lifting up those destressed neighborhoods they drive by on the way to work.

Invariably, those conversations typically ended with “it’s something I’ll prioritize after I’ve established myself in my career.” Sadly, no matter how much success they enjoyed, that day never came.

The same can probably be said about many professionals of my generation.

For King, service to others wasn’t something he was going to turn to once he had established himself in his career. Being a Baptist preacher and a civil rights activist were not mutually exclusive.

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When King was asked how he’d like to be remembered, what he’d like his eulogy to include he responded, “Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize.”

He downplayed that honor and the many others he received in his short life. What was important to King was that “he tried to give his life serving others.”

He said, “I’d like for somebody to say that Martin King tried to be on the right side of the war question.” “I want you to be able to say that I did try to feed the hungry.” “And I want you to say that I tried to “clothe the naked.” “I want you to say on that day that I did try to visit those in prison.”

“I want you to say that day that I tried to love and serve humanity.”

Drawing both from his Christian faith and belief in the power of nonviolence resistance, Dr. King was an indefatigable soldier in the fight for freedom, justice, and equality.

Few Americans have set a better example on that front.

Judson L. Jeffries is a professor of African American and African studies at Ohio State University. He is a regular contributor to the Columbus Dispatch

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Martin Luther King Jr. mission was to love and serve humanity