A great majority of African-Americans believe that Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of racial equality has been fulfilled, according to a CNN poll released the day before Barack Obama is to be sworn in as president of the U.S. .

The poll found 69% of blacks said King’s vision has been fulfilled in the more than 45 years since his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech — more than double the 34% who agreed with that assessment in a similar poll in March.

However, whites were less optimistic. The number of whites saying the dream has been fulfilled was at 46%, up from 35% in March.

“Whites don’t feel the same way — a majority of them say that the country has not yet fulfilled King’s vision,” CNN polling director Keating Holland said.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted January 12-15. Pollsters questioned 1,245 adult Americans, including 798 whites and 332 blacks, by telephone.

Deborah Creighton Skinner is the editorial director at BlackEnterprise.com