The Hague, 16 January 2012 – Today marks the 25th celebration of Martin Luther King Day. In the United States and elsewhere, millions will observe that holiday, which was created in 1986 to commemorate the legacy of a man whose unrelenting struggle for freedom and equality led to the end of an era of oppression.

It was through his nonviolent campaigns that after decades of marginalization Black Americans gained acceptance as equal members of society in the United States.   Beginning in 1965, his campaign to ensure that Black communities registered to vote gave millions a voice, paved the way to the ending of discrimination before the ballot box, and ultimately changed American politics forever.

Martin Luther King was an outstanding man to say the least. Through life-long activism and deep beliefs in peace and freedom, he became the leader of the Civil Rights Movement, an involvement that tragically cost him his life. He inspired and still inspires millions of people throughout the world. If the man has become a legend, it is his ideals and precepts that one should also honor today.

Indeed, all over the world countless nations and peoples are still walking in his footsteps and that of other prominent leaders such as Mahatama Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Cesar Chavez, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. From the Degar-Montagnards in Vietnam to the Uyghurs in East Turkestan, from the Haratin in Mauritania to the Mapuche in Chile, countless people around the world are still pressing for their right to live free from oppression and persecution while engaging in peaceful activism.

So today, as we celebrate the accomplishments and ideals of a truly great man, let us not forget about people whose existence is the object of a relentless struggle. Let us praise the values of freedom, equality and peace while remembering Martin Luther King’s words: “change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle”.