In the inauguration of the 44th — but first African American — president, this country got at least a glimpse of that mountaintop Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. profoundly claimed to see. With that as a backdrop, near the end of a historic week, the University of Vermont had the honor of welcoming human rights advocate and community activist Martin Luther King III, the elder son of the civil rights icon. It was the keynote event of a full week of celebrations and educational opportunities commemorating Dr. King's birthday.

Having witnessed the swearing-in and having worked with President Obama on a youth service project on Monday, King said of the week, "For me personally, it was electrifying. I felt jubilation."

The chance to hear King speak extended that feeling for UVM and the surrounding community as nearly 2,000 people poured into Patrick Gymnasium — students, senior citizens, parents with small children. As Wanda Heading-Grant, associate provost for multicultural affairs and academic initiatives, noted, "Everyone wanted a piece of it." They wanted a share of that momentous feeling of progress.

Yet King, in his talk, wasted little time cutting to the core of why America has edged closer though has not fully realized his father's vision. "We seem so consumed on self," he said. "We should be as concerned about others as we are about ourselves."

King used the day, echoing his father and the new president, to urge young people to serve in the fight against poverty and oppression. "Get out there, get active," he told students at a breakfast earlier in the day. "You can't fail from trying. You need to try."

In his own life, King was elected the fourth president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, co-founded by Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1957, aggressively fighting injustice on local, state and federal fronts. He currently leads the non-profit coalition force "Realizing the Dream," working to end poverty in the U.S.

Pervasive poverty is the driving force of King's work. "How can the work be finished," he insisted, "when 40 percent of the world's wealth is owned by one percent of its population?" The message of attaining equality through nonviolent means was heavily enforced in this talk as well.

It is hard work, he acknowledged. When crisis occurs, America is good at rolling up its sleeves. But it has to be sustained to move the cause forward.

Quoting his father, King said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in times of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy. I believe," he continued, "that there comes a time when we must take positions because our consciences tell us they are right even when we can't be certain of the outcome."

Both of his parents, King said, devoted their lives to creating a community where justice and equality reigned. Recent events suggest that legacy has surely been carried forward.

In conclusion King addressed directly the question that has been put to him repeatedly over the last week: does the election of a black president fulfill the dream of a father who was assassinated when King was only ten years old. While the answer is clearly that it's a big step but not the final step, King said he knew how proud Martin Luther King, Jr. would have been of Obama and how proud he would have been of an America that elected him.

"Then the thought came to me," King told the crowd. "He's here. He's in my blood and in my heart. As children of the dream, he's in all of our hearts and minds."