King still King?

Does Martin Luther King Jr. hold the prestige and influence as he once did? Ultimately, has his philosophy taken hold as a part of American society, or has it been heard by deaf ears?  There has been considerable change in race relations since Martin Luther King Jr.'s generation, but I think MLK would not think it has been enough. MLK said, "Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him." I think racism has become less external, something that can be physically seen/heard/felt as it was before. It has become less socially acceptable. People still have prejudices, but now they are more likely internalize/suppress them, and it comes out in different ways than before. MLK would still like to strive for removal of hate from our thoughts. During MLK day, I thought about him for a bit. He thought nonviolence was the only way to uplift African Americans. I believe that using aggression and violence can bring about freedom, but I am not sure that it would have been the best way to do so during the Civil Rights Movement. Wouldn't violence create more hate towards the African American communtiy and justify the stereotypes applied to them? It might temporarily bring about liberty, but I am not sure how it will be in the long run. Dr. King had a controversial view that clashed with many other Civil Rights leaders. I think that he believed in true equality between white and black.