Martin Luther King Jr. holds a special place in the American consciousness and is one of the few people to have a federal holiday celebrating his legacy. But what exactly is MLK’s legacy? From immigrants rights groups to gun rights activists to politicians, the history of the civil rights movement and MLK’s work and words have long been used, and contested, by many different people. Drawing from her new book, Professor Hajar Yazdiha explained why MLK holds such a prominent place in our shared memory, how politicians and social movements have used his legacy for their own causes, and how all this has impacted policy decisions.

For more on this topic:

• Read Yazdiha’s book, The Struggle for the People’s King: How Politics Transforms the Memory of the Civil Rights Movement

• Check out her opinion piece in TIME Magazine, The Problem With Comparing Today’s Activists to Martin Luther King Jr.