Martin Luther King Jr. through a 1997 Lens Teens and Educators Talk about His Legacy

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"When we think about Martin Luther King," says ninth-grader Tyrome Thomas. "We think, 'Here was a man fighting for things everyone needed at the time, but if it was now, he wouldn't stop there. He'd be fighting for better schools, safer neighborhoods, more opportunity.'"

The views of Tyrome, a student at the predominantly African-American Burke High school in Boston's Dorchester area, reflect the attitude of many young blacks. They honor the late civil rights leader, whose birthday will be observed on Jan. 20. As the only national holiday honoring a black person, it means more to them, they say, than, for example, President's Day.

But, "we worry about more …