Barack Obama obviously has an African-American heritage. He may be a candidate for all people and he may be positioning himself as a post-racial figure, but he has certain characteristics which associate him with the African-American community and no matter how much distance he (or his supporters) may want to put between himself and that fact, those to whom it might matter have certainly taken note.

He's also benefitted from the Civil Rights movement. The fact that he's a viable candidate for the White House speaks volumes on the issue, but he's also heavily aligned himself with the fight for equality through the subtext of what he says and he has borrowed heavily from Dr. King's style of speech. As an older person, I can't help but to hear the similarity in cadence between "yes we can" and "free at last", plus whenever he launches into one of those "from the fields of Iowa to the shores of..." portions of his acceptance speech, I recognize it as something which I mentally associate with some of the speeches from Dr. King.

This week marks the 40th Anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King. There's a full slate of commemorative events planned for Memphis and some of the topics covered will naturally include mention of Sen. Obama's candidacy.

On Friday, the actual anniversary of his death, Al Sharpton is going to lead a march from the Memphis City Hall to the National Civil Rights Center, which includes the Lorraine Motel. After the march there will be a memorial service, then a candlelight vigil and we've been told that several dignitaries will be on the balcony at exactly 6:01pm.

Barack Obama should also be on that balcony. It would mean that he'll be photographed alongside the Rev. Sharpton and perhaps Jesse Jackson, who was also on that balcony forty years ago and he'll be with other leaders from that era, but I think that it'd be a good gesture and would properly memorialize one of our most influential historical figure for him to be there. After all, if it weren't for the efforts of Dr. King, Sen. Obama would not find himself in the position that he finds himself today.

And, because so much of the world's media will be focused on Memphis this week and the events of that sad day, so many years ago: I feel that the entire event, with or without his presence could be a continuation of the conversation that he tried to start in Philadelphia.

Though Barack Obama really should go to Memphis -- It'd be the right thing to do.