With vigils and speeches, people across the nation today will commemorate the life of one of the forerunners of the civil rights movement.

But 20 years after the death of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the national holiday marking his birthday should not only idealize King but also further his philosophy, said Lawrence Young, director of the Paul Robeson Cultural Center.

The trend to idealize the icon, King, more than his philosophy, overlooks the need to learn about his ideologies, Young said.

Themes of "brotherhood and tolerance are more relevant today than they were in the 60s," he said.

The belief that "King emphasized a point of view no longer relevant to life in America" is "an unhealthy trend," Young said.

Over time, this neglect of King's philosophies may make any holiday observing his dream of racial equality a symbolic exercise, said James Stewart, director of Black Studies. Students should take advantage of resources such as the Beaver Hall's Martin Luther King Jr. Interest House, to gain a better understanding of King.

King had "a vision of human society interacting and cross-cutting racial and cultural barriers within the United States and world," Stewart said.

His death signalled the end of the nonviolent phase of the effort to obtain racial equality, he added.

Pat Peterson, assistant vice president for campus life, said people should "very consciously reflect" on King's teachings.

"A lot of things happen, particularly at Penn State, that cause people to look at diversity and intercultural participation," Peterson said.

Kevin Parker, a Black Caucus member and co-director of USG's department of human relations, said it is a time to "remember what has been done and to push on."

At 4 this afternoon, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Urban League John E. Jacobs will speak at Eisenhower Auditorium.

"Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a way to pay respect," said Andrianna Todd (sophomore-business). Without King's achievements, "maybe I would not be here," she added.

Martin Luther King Jr. publicly started his battle to end racial discrimination on Dec. 5, 1955 when he led a 381-day boycott of the Montgomery, Ala., public bus system in support of Rosa Parks, a black woman who refused to give her bus seat to a white person.

King's commitment to racial equality and freedom is highlighted by certain events.

-- 1960 -- He created and was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

-- 1961 -- King was jailed with several hundred others as they protested segregation in Albany, Ga.

-- 1963 -- The civil rights leader was arrested during protests that erupted into violence in Birmingham, Ala., and brought the attention of the world to the struggle. On Aug. 28, the protestors held the first March on Washington, where King gave his famous "I have a dream" speech.

-- 1964 -- King receives the Nobel Peace Prize .

-- 1965 -- King led a voters registration drive and marched from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. Three-thousand people were arrested as the group faced shootings, beatings, and police resistance.

-- 1965-1967 -- Martin Luther King Jr. took his fight to the North and spoke out against the Vietnam War.

-- 1968 -- King is assassinated on his hotel balcony in Memphis, Tenn. on April 4. A plaque commemorating the place reads "They said one to another, behold here cometh the dreamer. Let us slay him and we shall see what becomes of his dreams."

King strove for the end of racial discrimination through nonviolent means. On the first day of the boycott against the Montgomery public bus system King made a statement of their purpose.

"There will be no threats and intimidation. We will be guided by the highest principles of law and order. Our method will be that of persuasion, not coercion . . . Our actions must be guided by the deepest principles of our Christian faith. Love must be our regulating ideal . . . In spite of the mistreatment that has confronted us, we must not become bitter, and end up by hating our white brothers. . . ," King said.