Almost 40 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Many say he died for our civil rights. I would agree. Since my life did not begin until 1974, I missed the civil rights movement and some of the finest black leaders in American History. My personal studies made me gravitate more towards the teachings of Malcolm X, but who knows how I would have thought at the time? I might have been just another white racist bigot.

I look at the black leaders in America these days, and I must say I'm unimpressed. You have the Reverends Al Sharpton & Jesse Jackson. They seem to be good at piping up when racial epithets are spoken, claiming disrespect and calling for someone's jobs. Imus is back on the air, and Kramer's career is still over. Way to go, civil rights! Oprah has more clout than the reverends, and being a television personality isn't exactly the same as a civil rights leader.

What is the dream these days? Is it Barack Obama? Is that the litmus test for how far we've come as a nation? Can we elect a black president 40 years after we shot the most beloved civil rights leader in our history? Maybe. Maybe.

The nation has changed, and a new racist war is brewing. Can you say Immigration? I knew you could.

There are still plenty of racist acts in America. Some are big issues like racial profiling by the police and retail businesses, and others are the careless flippant statements of White America. College basketball girls aren't exactly nappy-headed hos, are they, Imus? Every murder in White America wasn't done by an anonymous black man. I've heard a white man or two dismayed at the end of days of white dominance in politics. I shrug my shoulders to such subtly racist comments. Have you met girlfriend Maria? Yeah, my white supremacy days never began, so I can't bemoan them now.

My cousin brought a friend with her to Thanksgiving dinner. He seemed like a nice Hispanic guy. I had met him when she had a garage sale at my house last fall. I wish I could tell you more about him, but he doesn't speak English. It's not that I don't like him, but I do know that when you can't communicate with someone, there isn't much to say. Every time I've seen him, we smile and nod. We still have the right to be civil to each other.

In the cab, I've learned to be non-judgmental. I don't care what color you are, what religion you are, where you're from, or where you're going. If someone says something racist, I respond with silence, unenthusiastic agreement, or change the subject. As long as you have cash money and can tell me somehow where you want to go, that's all I need to do my job. I have driven a couple illegals to remote areas of New Mexico to do jobs that illegals can do under the radar. They didn't have the money, but someone at the destination flipped the bill. Someone wanted them enough to pay a couple hundred bucks. Who do we blame someone for this? Ourselves.

So how are we doing, MLK? It's forty years later, and are you satisfied? Are we where you wanted us to be yet? I don't think so either.

If civil rights are still so important, where are the leaders? Where are the masses? Where is the unity?

The strategy still seems to be for the country to outlive the racists and hope for a more tolerant next generation. I won't say that isn't working, but that means another hundred years of slow progress without back-treading. No guarantee that will happen. Look back to 1908. We didn't even know two World Wars were on the horizon. Never rely on the future to fix the past. We're always living in the present.

As for myself, I'd like to think I'm fairly civil. In the theatre world, I've acted & directed all races of folks. Every person is a unique character, and I treat them all as individuals. Believe it or not, but you actually NEED all races and creeds for good theatre. Do I still have my Imus moments? Absolutely. Sometimes, my racist jibes are even humorous. Does that make them right? No, but does that make me unholy? Nope. I'm just an American. Less than 150 years ago, we were killing each other en mass over civil rights. 40 years ago, we were making martyrs of people who preached peace. Today, we are much more subtle, but racism remains. Trust me.

The century has just begun. How far can we go toward a true Technicolor America? As far as we want.

Chris Jungle is a run-of-the-mill white guy.