Acclaimed actor and activist Danny Glover reminded the capacity crowd at University of North Carolina Wilmington that the evening of Jan. 24 was not about him.

"We are here to celebrate a dream. Forty years after Dr. King's death, we still have his words that apply," said Glover during "An Evening with Langston and Martin," part of UNCW's 25th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration held in Kenan Auditorium.

Referring to himself as "a child of the Civil Rights Movement," Glover said he carries the work of King with him at all times. He spoke of the many movements that have occurred since the Civil Rights era and said collectively they all work to "shatter the restrictions and bondages of ignorance and racism."

Glover asked, "Can anyone imagine the years of 1955 to 1968 without the work of King?"

Reading Langston Hughes' The Negro Speaks of Rivers and The Weary Blues, Glover told the audience, "King realized he was part of this important continuum of movements and artists like Hughes. We have to understand the historical context of where we live and function. Each generation has its own legacy, and so do you."

After reading an excerpt from "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" by Hughes, Glover stated that "Martin Luther King Jr. was not a mountain, but one man trying to do good, and we are many."

"What we can do for the community should always be at the forefront of our minds. Citizens can become the architects of their own rescue, and it only works with informed citizenry and their participation. My career as an artist does not supersede my responsibility as a citizen."

In his closing remarks Glover reminded all that "without empathy, there is no imagination. Without empathy, you cannot respect a person's journey," and quietly wished the late Martin Luther King Jr. a happy birthday.