Today is the 35th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. If he were alive today, what would he be doing? What would he be thinking?

I like to think that if Dr. King were still with us, he would be a feminist and a gay rights activist, as well as a leader of his people. I like to think that he would be helping the black community fight against HIV infection, and that he would teach young people how to stand against injustice and how to make change happen, no matter how much resistance they encountered.

Of course, these are just my fantasies, but I think they are well-grounded, given Dr. King's personal and political history. His death was one of the ugliest moments in modern American history, but his life was one we can all emulate.