President-Elect Obama on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: 'Our separate dreams are one' (VIDEO)

The next U.S. President comments on one of the nation's greatest Civil Rights leaders.

Courtesy: barackobama.com

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - President-elect Obama joined Americans across the country today in honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by joining in one of the 11,000 public service planned for today. This morning he released an official statement honoring Dr. King:

"Today, we celebrate the life of a preacher who, more than forty-five years ago, stood on our national mall in the shadow of Lincoln and shared his dream for our nation. His was a vision that all Americans might share the freedom to make of our lives what we will; that our children might climb higher than we would.

Dr. Martin Luther King's was a life lived in loving service to others. As we honor that legacy, it's not a day just to pause and reflect - it's a day to act. Today, ordinary citizens will gather together all across the country to participate in the more than eleven thousand service projects they've created using USAservice.org. And I ask the American people to turn today's efforts into an ongoing commitment to enriching the lives of others in their communities, their cities, and their country.

Tomorrow, we will come together as one people on the same mall where Dr. King's dream echoes still. As we do, we recognize that here in America, our destinies are inextricably linked. We resolve that as we walk, we must walk together. And as we go forward in the work of renewing the promise of this nation, let's remember King's lesson - that our separate dreams are really one."

Special thanks to Christopher Hass.

In this video report, President-Elect Barack Obama is taking time on this inauguration eve to honor one of the pioneers of civil rights, and he's asking all Americans to do the same. CBS's Drew Levinson reports: