Honoring The King

Ways to Honor Dr. King and Share the Spirit of Inclusion

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“We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - letter from Birmingham Jail

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday was created after a long campaign by civil rights activists. The holiday was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, but it wasn't officially observed until 1986.

How it started

• Legislation to create the holiday was introduced in Congress four days after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968

• There was opposition to the holiday on racial and political grounds

• States and cities began celebrating King's birthday on January 15 as early as 1970

How it was created

• In 1983, the bill passed the House and Senate, and Reagan signed it into law

• The King Center organized a march on Washington that included an estimated 500,000 people

• Musician Stevie Wonder released the song “Happy Birthday” to promote the holiday

How it's celebrated

• The holiday is celebrated with parades, marches, and speeches by civil rights and political leaders

• It's the only federal holiday that's also a national day of service

Honoring Dr. King with ACTION