The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

NYSUT President Richard C. Iannuzzi looks to Dr. Martin Luther King and past presidents for answers to the current economic crisis in commentary airing this week on WAMC Public Radio.

"What Dr. King defined as leadership, so true then in the era of Vietnam and the struggle for civil rights, will be a central theme now during this equally momentous time," says Iannuzzi. "Barack Obama's inauguration as the 44th president - clearly one of the most historic moments in my lifetime - comes at the height of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, a time that our own history-making governor, David Paterson, has described as 'perilous'."

• DOWNLOAD: MP3 Audio (5 MB). Complete commentary. 4 minutes.

Audio file courtesy WAMC  Northeast Public Radio.