In his address, Barack Obama mentioned Dr. King…probably because both men had the same idea when it came to racial unity in the United States: equality is long overdue. If it were a library book, the late fees would be ridiculous.

Especially when you consider that we still aren't there yet.

In his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Dr. King defended his belief in nonviolent protests to secure equality for all people. He wasn't afraid of the consequences of his actions—in fact, he believed breaking laws designed to further discrimination was an appropriate step, one that had to be taken in order to make any real change. And the time to do it is now because there will never be a "right time" or an "easy time" to literally challenge the status quo. We've all waited long enough.

Both Dr. King and Barack Obama talked about the average Joe and Josephine's responsibility to fix the problem, and they also said that these average people must be united in their efforts. The shift in thinking—which is what both speakers were advocating for—won't be painless, and it won't be easy.

But we have to find a way to whistle while we work and leave Grumpy at home—it's the only way to solve the problem.