It's MLK Day, a day set aside for the celebration of the birth of a man who spread the seeds of civil rights throughout the soil of our nation and fearlessly nurtured them until they took root and grew big and strong, who preached tolerance and peace in the face of outrageous violence, who believed in our collective humanity, our individuality and our oneness, who understood that we are much more the quality of our compassion and not at all the color of our skin.

Is it also a day for underscoring the ongoing plight of animals as second-class citizens, as property owned by humans, as living creatures, albeit four-legged, deserving of rights and protections?

Every year on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, quotes attributed to him fill the social media newsfeeds. This is a favorite:

"Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way."

Here's another oldie but goodie:

"One day the absurdity of the almost universal human belief in the slavery of other animals will be palpable. We shall then have discovered our souls and become worthier of sharing this planet with them."

I love those quotes. The problem is, there is zero evidence that MLK ever said, wrote, sang or dreamed to the effect of these lovely words.

The other problem is, people wanting to honor MLK and celebrate his life and singular contribution as a civil rights hero get irked when animal rights activists try to "hijack" his day.

Can't we all just get along?

I dream about a day when I don't have to scour the cosmetics counter for items not tested on animals, when all shelters are no-kill safe havens for animals in need of care, when I can purchase a bathtub cleaner that actually makes the tub look sparkling clean and that wasn't force-fed to a mouse or sprayed into the eyes of a bunny on the off-chance I opt to take a swig or use it as an eyewash.

Does it matter whether MLK sat up nights worrying about those issues? Dr. King chose his battle, and it was monumental and historic — so much so that he gets and deserves his own day.

And what's really great is, his message of unconditional love and nonviolence is all-encompassing, regardless of whether he personally and consciously applied it to dogs and orcas and lab rats. It isn't necessary or even possible to put words in his mouth. Those ideas he shared freely and passionately are more than good enough. Like this one:

"Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart."

The beauty of MLK is that he led an entire nation out of the dark through relentless celebration of the power of our collective goodness, the potential for good in all of us, manifested in large and small ways. No wonder Stevie Wonder was inspired to write one of the best happy birthday songs ever:

And we all know everything

Thanks to Martin Luther King.

Jessica Burtch was the longtime editor and writer for Matthew "Uncle Matty" Margolis. She is an even longer-time lover of dogs and critters in general. Follow her @sicaleigh. Email her at [email protected]. Read more at creators.com.