Jan. 15 marked the birthday of Martin Luther King. Democratic presidential candidates are using the occasion to debate his role in this country's landmark civil rights legislation. I find it more interesting to ponder whether his ideals extended beyond African-Americans to all victims of oppression and injustice, including animals.

Dr. King's wife, Coretta, and son, Dexter, became vegans, rejecting all products of animal suffering, including meat, dairy, eggs, leather, and fur. Their opposition to violence extended to the violence perpetrated against billions of innocent, sentient animals in America's factory farms and slaughterhouses. Their passion for justice extended to the most oppressed living beings on the planet - animals bred, abused, and killed for food.

In his letter from Birmingham jail, Martin Luther King cautioned that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. ” This message truly resonated with Coretta and Dexter Scott King. I hope that it will do likewise with Dr. King's many other admirers.

Ari Holten

Auburn