President Barack Obama called for the nation to honor Martin Luther King with a day of service to others.

Reporting from Washington— President Obama used the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to make a call for public service Monday, saying it was particularly important for Americans to “pull together” at a time of economic hardship.

In brief remarks at a public school in Northeast Washington, Obama also addressed some “controversy” over a quote chiseled into the new memorial for the slain civil rights leader.

On the side of the stone monument reads this quote from King: “I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.” But critics said the abbreviated quote misrepresented King’s intent, a point Obama acknowledged today.

“If you look at that speech talking about Dr. King as a drum major, what he really said was that all of us can be a drum major for service, all of us can be a drum major for justice. There’s nobody who can’t serve. Nobody who can’t help somebody else,” the president said. Source