I could make a case that Martin Luther King Jr. is the greatest American to have ever lived. No, he was not a founding father, author of the Declaration of independence or a president who ended the Civil War.

What King did was make the United States a morally defensible place to live.

King showed Americans and the world that every person has the ability to bring about change in society. He proved the basic tenant of the American dream: the individual has worth and power, no matter the odds lined up against him or her.

King is remembered in a national holiday for a good reason. Parades are held nationwide to remember his legacy and one of the largest, a “marade,” is held in Denver. In addition, King’s life has been well documented in award-winning documentaries.

The University of Denver was closed for the King holiday and several busloads of students participated in the “marade.” That is praiseworthy but we could have done more on King’s day. We could have honored King’s memory not by shutting down but by keeping Driscoll Center open and showing award-winning films about King. That could have been combined with a student lead discussion on how to increase diversity on campus, or even making available the history and photographs of the work that King did in Denver.

Yes, DU held other events that honored King but they were during the week when students were busy with classes, clubs, homework and extracurricular activities.

The Monday holiday was a guaranteed open day for students and staff alike to pause and consider what King did for our nation. Next year let’s honor this greatest of Americans on his day in a thought-provoking way.

The silence on campus was deafening.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day was marked just like any other three-day weekend.