I hope that you and your family enjoy a great day off of school celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. I'll see you Tuesaday. Until then, here's something for you to read about MLK Day from Internet Family FunMartin Luther King Jr Day is always celebrated on the third Monday in January. The date of Martin Luther King Jr Day could be anywhere from Jan 15 to Jan 21 in any given year.
Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. He died on April 4, 1968 when he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
About Martin Luther King Jr
- Led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
- Spoke out about the Vietnam War.
- Spoke out against poverty.
- MLK Jr was a Baptist Pastor.
- MLK Jr. had a Ph.D. in systematic theology.
- He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
- Delivered his famous I Have a Dream speech in 1963.
- First black American to be honored as Man of the Year in Time magazine.
About the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
The road to creating Martin Luther King Jr Day was a long and controversial road. Many thought that Martin Luther King Jr's birthday was too close to Christmas and New Years so they compromised with the third Monday in January. Many also thought that the Civil Rights Movement should be commemorated instead of one man. Here are some quick facts about the MLK holiday.
- Rep. John Conyers from Michigan introduced legislation for a federal holiday to celebrate MLK four days after his death in 1968. The bill became stalled.
- States later started to adopt MLK Day as state holidays. Illinois was the first in 1973.
- In 1983 congress passes legislation creating MLK Jr. Day and President Reagan signed it. In 1986 the federal holiday went into effect.
- In 1999 New Hampshire was the last state to adopt the MLK holiday.
