In pictures: Martin Luther King Day

On Martin Luther King Day, a US national holiday, President George W Bush took part in a special lesson for young children on the importance of the day.

Ex-President Bill Clinton also marked King's life along with presidential aspirant Mike Huckabee (2nd right) and King's niece Alveda King (3rd right), singing We Shall Overcome.

King's call for mass peaceful protest still inspires people, such as this demonstrator at an anti-war rally. King, who was shot dead in Memphis in 1968, would have been 79 this year.

The day was loaded with political significance, coinciding with the presidential primaries, in which Democrat Barack Obama is being hailed as the strongest ever African-American hopeful.

Race issues are still resonating. Mr Obama's campaign has clashed with Hillary Clinton's over race issues. Here though, the pair shared a joke with their rival John Edwards.

Republican candidate Mitt Romney marked the day with a group of military cadets in Florida. He called King a man of "passion and courage and faith".

The next presidential primary takes place in South Carolina on Saturday, but in Chicago some voters were using the holiday to cast early votes for the Illinois contest.

The day also provoked protests from white segregationists, who marched in Jena, Louisiana - a racial flashpoint since six black youths were arrested for beating up a white boy.

A counter-protest was held against the segregationists, attracting about twice the number of followers, including members of the radical New Black Panthers Party.

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