Monday, January 16 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, an annual celebration honoring Dr. King’s accomplishments for the Civil Rights Movement. A History.com article titled, “The Fight for Martin Luther King Jr. Day” says of King: “[He] was the first modern private citizen to be honored with a federal holiday, and for many familiar with his non-violent leadership of the civil rights movement, it made sense to celebrate him.”
MLK Jr. Day is a National Day of Service
Celebrate Dr. King’s legacy and serve your community by attending these YDL events:
How did MLK Jr. Day become a national holiday?
Four days after King’s 1968 assassination, Michigan Congressman and fellow Civil Rights activist, John Conyers, introduced a bill on the House floor to create a federal holiday honoring the late Dr. King. The bill was largely ignored, but that didn’t deter Conyers from reintroducing the bill each congressional term.
Finally, in the 1980s, with the 15th anniversary of King’s death, the 20th anniversary on the March on Washington, and the popularity of Stevie Wonder’s hit “happy Birthday” about MLK Jr., interest in honoring Dr. King’s legacy grew. In 1983, Conyers’ bill finally became law, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy was finally celebrated.