Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday will be commemorated on Monday, and the mainstream media will depict King as a benign figure who might have stepped out of a Hallmark card. What is emphasized is King's fight for racial equality — certainly laudable and worthy of celebration.

What is downplayed, often ignored, is King's challenge to this country to recognize and correct an economic inequality that has deleterious effects on both black and white Americans.

In addition to his opposition to the Vietnam War, King warned us that, "a nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."

It is instructive that King's, "I Have a Dream" speech came as part of the "March on Washington for Freedom and Jobs."

Americans can honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., by promoting a policy of jobs with a living wage, and peace.

Lee Lears, Annapolis