ATLANTA AP – A scholar and activist invoked the fiery side of Martin Luther King Jr.’s rhetoric Monday at the civil rights icon’s church, urging the audience not to “sanitize” King’s legacy or let the president off the hook on issues like poverty.

Across the country, Americans marked what would have been King’s 81st birthday with rallies and parades. And days ahead of the anniversary of his historic inauguration, President Barack Obama honored King by serving meals to the needy.