Martin Luther King, Jr.

The first major holiday to commemorate the life and good deeds of an African American was passed into law by Congress on November 2, 1983 to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King came to prominence in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama when he led the African American citizens in that city against the segregated bus system. The incident started when an African American woman, Rosa Parks, refused to give up her seat. She was arrested. The citizens of Montgomery were outraged and conducted a bus boycott that lasted 382 days. The Supreme Court declared the Alabama state segregation law was unconstitutional.

The Civil Rights Movement headed by Dr. King began in 1957 when he moved back to his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia and founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Dr. King organized non-violent protests against the treatment of African Americans in this country. Dr. King and the boycotters were threatened, attacked, and jailed.

A March on Washington was organized and held on August 28, 1963. More than 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D. C. to support civil rights legislation that would guarantee equal treatment to all citizens of the United States. Dr. King was the keynote speaker. The speech he gave titled "I Have a Dream" became a rallying cry for the movement.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed and it guaranteed equal rights in housing, public facilities, voting, and public schools. A civil rights commission was formed to ensure the laws were enforced. Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership in a non-violent movement.

Dr. King was also involved in helping workers to achieve equality and fair pay on their jobs. He was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee while leading a workers' strike.

It took a number of years to make Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday a national holiday. Many people wanted it. A lot of others did not. Representative John Conyers introduced legislation for the holiday in 1968 after Dr. King's assassination. President Reagan signed the bill in 1983 to create the holiday. It became a federal holiday in 1986.

Prior to Congress passing the law, Illinois had already adopted the day as a state holiday. After the law passed, Arizona's governor Evan Mecham rescinded the holiday when he took office. Tourists boycotted the state and the Super Bowl which was to be held in the state was moved. In 1992, the citizens of Arizona voted to allow the holiday and the Super Bowl was held in Arizona in 1996.

In some states, there were already days celebrated as Human Rights Day or Civil Rights Day. In 1989, forty-four states had adopted his birthday as a state holiday. It was not always a paid holiday. By 1999 there was some type of celebration in all fifty states.

In 1986, the celebration of Dr. King's birthday was moved to the third Monday in January by President Ronald Reagan as a legal federal holiday.

Dr. King's birthday is not only a commemoration for the work he did in the Civil Rights Movement but as a day of service to mankind. There are many organizations who celebrate his birthday by organizing and participating in public services on his birthday.

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