Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday marking the birthday of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and celebrating his life and legacy. It is observed on the third Monday of January every year with his actual birthday on January 15. The holiday was signed into law in 1983 and was first celebrated in 1986.
In 1994, federal legislation was put forward by Harris Watford (PA) and John Lewis (GA) to transform the day into a day of citizen action volunteer service. Since then, the National Day of Service has been coordinated by AmeriCorps. Find opportunities to serve at the NAACP, AmeriCorps, and local service organizations.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American civil rights leader, Baptist minister, and activist. He is most famous for his leadership during the Civil Rights movement through non-violent resistance and civil disobedience.
Born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, GA, King grew up in a religious household. He attended Morehouse College, Crozer Theological Seminary, the University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University School of Theology, earing a BA in Sociology and a PhD in Theology.
As an activist and leader, he was involved with the Montgomery bus boycott (1955); Atlanta sit-ins (1960s); the Albany Movement (1961); the Birmingham campaign (1963); the March on Washington (1963); the St. Augustine (FL) movement (1964); the Scripto labor strike (1964-1965); the Selma voting rights movement (1965); the Selma to Montgomery marches (1965); and the Chicago Freedom Movement (1965), among others.
On April 4, 1968, King was assassinated while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN. His remains are interred at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park in Atlanta, GA and the Lorraine Motel is now the National Civil Rights Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate.