When I lived in the South (variously in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi), I learned the importance of using the late Rev. Dr. King’s full title.

Sometimes, whites, as a subtle means of resistance to the idea of equality, would leave out the ‘doctor.’

Of course, sometimes it is just a simple matter of everyday laziness (even I will say ‘MLK’ on more than a few occasions). Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar, but a cigar becomes important in those times when it is something more. So, it was drilled into me the necessity of making an effort to always say ‘Reverend Doctor’ before his name.