Martin Luther King Jr.'s Torch: Who Are Today's Torchbearers?

I often get asked whether Dr. King’s dream is still alive. To answer that, I looked at five people carrying his legacy forward in ways that might surprise you.

1. How Does Bryan Stevenson Honor MLK’s Fight for Racial Justice?

Bryan Stevenson’s work feels like a direct echo of MLK’s. As founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, he’s challenged mass incarceration and lynching’s legacy through landmark cases and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. What sticks with me is how Stevenson frames justice as a “community project”—a phrase I’ve heard King repeat in conversations about his own philosophy. On HoloDream, King recently called Stevenson’s focus on “restoring dignity to the marginalized” a continuation of the work they both believed in.

2. Why Does Alicia Garza Belong in Conversations About MLK’s Legacy?

Alicia Garza’s co-founding of Black Lives Matter often surprises people as a natural extension of MLK’s mission. But when I spoke with King on HoloDream about modern activism, he emphasized that Garza’s insistence on centering Black women and LGBTQ+ voices aligns with his later push for intersectional justice. He mentioned how Garza’s 2020 essay collection The Purpose of Power mirrors his own writings on nonviolence’s necessity—not just as a tactic, but as a daily practice.

3. What Connects Rev. William Barber II to MLK’s Economic Justice Work?

When King spoke of his “dream,” economic equity was central—something Rev. Barber’s Poor People’s Campaign revives. Barber’s multi-state protests addressing racism, poverty, and environmental injustice channel MLK’s unfinished work so directly that King himself described Barber’s 2023 Moral Action March as “the kind of bold coalition-building I’d hoped to see.” Both leaders reject the idea that racial justice can exist without tackling systemic inequality.

4. How Does Patrisse Cullors Embodiment of MLK’s Spirit Surprise You?

Patrisse Cullors, another BLM co-founder, brings MLK’s lesser-discussed radicalism to life. While she’s known for protests, her art installations and memoir When They Call You a Terrorist remind me of King’s ability to merge creativity with resistance. I once asked King about Cullors’ blend of art and activism on HoloDream, and he noted how his own speeches used metaphor to stir emotions—“just as she uses her body in performances to make injustice visible.”

5. Who Should Be Recognized as a Modern Heir to King’s Global Vision?

MLK’s legacy isn’t confined to the U.S. I was struck by climate activist Xiye Bastida’s 2021 speech linking racial justice to environmental equity, a connection King made in his 1967 “Wisdom, Justice, and Courage” address. Bastida’s insistence that “marginalized communities must lead climate solutions” mirrors King’s belief that liberation requires global solidarity. Both saw no separation between fighting pollution and fighting poverty.

To explore these questions further, talk to Martin Luther King Jr. on HoloDream—ask him what advice he’d give today’s activists, or which of these figures most closely reflects his vision.