By the look of the world around us, I'd say "not very far".
"We as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values... when machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered." Martin Luther King, Jr. April 4, 1967
There are 43 million people in the US living under the official poverty line. While there are more white people living in poverty (30 million) than black (10 million) and Hispanic (12 million) poor combined, the poverty rate for whites of 12% is significantly less than the 26% rate for blacks and the 25% rate for Hispanics. Source: census
Between 2002 and 2007, 65 percent of all income growth in the US went to the top 1 percent of the population; that top 1 percent also held a larger share of income than any time since 1928, according to economists Emmanuel Saez and Thomas Piketty. Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Those figures are even higher, today.
The US spent $774 billion directly on its military budget in 2010. In fact the US spends more on military than the rest of the top 10 countries in the world put together.
As we remember the courage and dedication of Dr. King, we must not forget that he fought against the injustices in this nation that affected 99% of us. His dream of a people united in brotherhood and mutual respect carried us towards a goal of a future without racism, poverty, and illiteracy.
Where we are today, however, is sad testimony to the failure of our leadership. Our leadership has forsaken its people, its principles, and its ideology, for the profit of a very few, at the expense of very many. I don't think Dr. King would be proud of our progress.
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