Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. I was too young to be aware of that event at the time it happened, but Dr. King's life and struggle have nonetheless been the measure of my generation's own political journey. He demonstrated the power of non-violent -- but active, firm and unyielding -- resistance to tyranny.

I was privileged to attend a Martin Luther King remembrance ceremony and community unity rally last night at Douglass Memorial Church of God in Christ in Meacham Park. This wasn't a "campaign event" as such for me, although I did introduce myself as a candidate to the wonderful people I met at the rally.

Most people in the St. Louis area will recognize Meacham Park as a troubled neighborhood -- annexed in the early 1990s by neighboring Kirkwood and partially eradicated (using the government's power of eminent domain) for "economic development." Many will remember that earlier this year, a resident of Meacham Park, Charles Lee "Cookie" Thornton, killed several Kirkwood city officials and was himself killed by police, after some long-festering disputes related to the neighborhood's situation.

What most people won't know, if they weren't at last night's rally or haven't spent time in Meacham Park, is the spirit of healing -- and determination to secure equal justice for themselves and those around them -- that moves in this neighborhood.