Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Difference between revisions

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Line 1: {{Short description\|U.S. holiday, 3rd Monday of January}} {{pp-~~pc1~~pc}} {{Use mdy dates\|date=January 2020}}{{Use American English\|date=September 2024}} {{Infobox holiday \| holiday_name = Martin Luther King Jr. Day Line 21 ⟶ 22: {{Martin Luther King Jr. sidebar}} {{African American topics sidebar}} '''Martin Luther King Jr. Day''' (officially '''Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.''',<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/federal-holidays/#url=2013 \|title=Federal Holidays \|publisher=Opm.gov \|access-date=January 20, 2014 \|archive-date=July 10, 2015 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710025314/https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/federal-holidays/#url=2013 \|url-status=live }}</ref> and often referred to shorthand as '''MLK Day''') is a [[federal holiday in the United States]] ~~marking~~observed on the ~~birthday~~third Monday of January each year. [[ofMartin Luther King Jr.\|King]] was chief spokesperson for [[nonviolence\|nonviolent]] activism in the [[Civil rights movement\|Civil Rights Movement]], which protested racial discrimination in federal and state law and civil society. The movement led to several groundbreaking legislative reforms in the United States. Born in 1929, [[Martin Luther King Jr.]]'s actual birthday is January 15 (which in 1929 fell on a Tuesday). The earliest Monday for this holiday is January 15 and the latest is January 21. The Monday observance is similar for those federal holidays which fall under the [[Uniform Monday Holiday Act]]. The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after [[Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.\|his assassination]] in 1968. President [[Ronald Reagan]] signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later on January 20, 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. Official observance in each state's law as well as federal law occurred in 2000. ==History== Line 29 ⟶ 34: [[File:Don%27t_Work_sign_ppmsca.03197_Cropped.jpg\|thumb\|upright=0.6\|right\|{{shy\|Sign (1969) pro\|mot\|ing a holiday on the an\|ni\|ver\|sa\|ry of King's death}}]] [[File:President Ronald Reagan at the Signing Ceremony for Martin Luther King Holiday Legislation.jpg\|thumb\|upright=1.2\|right\|[[Ronald Reagan]] and [[Coretta Scott King]] at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day signing ceremony]] The idea of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday was promoted by [[trade union\|labor unions]] in contract negotiations.<ref name="nation">{{cite news\|last=Jones \|first=William P. \|date=January 30, 2006 \|archive-date=June 29, 2011 \|url=http://www.thenation.com/article/working-class-hero?page=full \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629021941/http://www.thenation.com/article/working-class-hero?page=full \|title=Working-Class Hero \|work=[[The Nation]] \|access-date=January 17, 2011 \|url-status=dead }}</ref> After King's death, Representative [[John Conyers]]<ref name="20180110History.comBlakemore">{{cite web \|last1=Blakemore \|first1=Erin \|title=The Fight for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day \|url=https://www.history.com/news/martin-luther-king-jr-day-controversial-origins-of-the-holiday \|publisher=[[History (American TV network)\|History.com]] \|access-date=January 24, 2021 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120022100/https://www.history.com/news/martin-luther-king-jr-day-controversial-origins-of-the-holiday \|archive-date=January 20, 2021 \|date=January 10, 2018}}</ref> (a Democrat from [[Michigan]]) and Senator [[Edward Brooke]] (a Republican from [[Massachusetts]]) introduced a bill in Congress to make King's birthday a national holiday. The bill first came to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1979. ~~However, it~~It fell five votes short of the number needed for passage.<ref name="Wolfen">{{cite web\|last=Wolfensberger \|first=Don \|date=January 14, 2008 \|archive-date=March 3, 2011 \|url=http://www.wilsoncenter.org/events/docs/King%20Holiday-essay-drw.pdf \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303194404/http://www.wilsoncenter.org/events/docs/King%20Holiday-essay-drw.pdf \|title=The Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday: The Long Struggle in Congress, An Introductory Essay \|publisher=[[Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars]] \|access-date=January 16, 2011 \|url-status=dead }}</ref> Two of the main arguments mentioned by opponents were that a paid holiday for federal employees would be too expensive and that a holiday to honor a private citizen would be contrary to longstanding tradition (King had never held public office).<ref name="Wolfen" /> Only two other figures have national holidays in the U.S. honoring them: [[George Washington]] and [[Christopher Columbus]].<!-- Please do not change this sentence. The national holiday is Washington's Birthday, not President's Day (which is the name of a state holiday in many states). --> Soon after, the [[Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site\|King Center]] turned to support from the corporate community and the general public. The success of this strategy was cemented when musician [[Stevie Wonder]] released the single "[[Happy Birthday (Stevie Wonder song)\|Happy Birthday]]" to popularize the campaign in 1980 and hosted the Rally for Peace Press Conference in 1981. Six million signatures were collected for a petition to Congress to pass the law, termed by a 2006 article in ''[[The Nation]]'' as "the largest petition in favor of an issue in U.S. history".<ref name="nation"/> Line 36 ⟶ 41: ===Federal passage=== [[Ronald Reagan\|President Ronald Reagan]] originally opposed the holiday, citing cost concerns. When asked to comment on Helms' accusations that King was a communist, the president said "We'll know in thirty-five years, won't we,", referring to the eventual release of [[FBI]] surveillance tapes that had previously been [[record sealing\|sealed]].<ref>{{cite journal\|last1=Younge\|first1=Gary\|title=The Misremembering of 'I Have a Dream'\|journal=The Nation\|date=September 2–9, 2013\|url=http://www.thenation.com/article/175764/misremembering-i-have-dream\|access-date=April 12, 2015\|archive-date=April 26, 2015\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426110321/http://www.thenation.com/article/175764/misremembering-i-have-dream\|url-status=live}}</ref> But on November 2, 1983, Reagan signed a bill into law, proposed by [[Katie Hall (American politician)\|Representative Katie Hall]] of Indiana, to create a federal holiday honoring King.<ref name="reagan">{{cite web\|last=Woolley \|first=John T. \|author2=Gerhard Peters \|date=November 2, 1983 \|archive-date=July 20, 2011 \|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=40708 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720080942/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=40708 \|title=Ronald Reagan: Remarks on Signing the Bill Making the Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. a National Holiday \|publisher=[[The American Presidency Project]] \|access-date=January 16, 2011 \|url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=statute>{{USStatute\|98\|399\|98\|1475\|1984\|8\|27}}</ref> The final vote in the [[United States House of Representatives\|House of Representatives]] on August 2, 1983, was 338–90 (242–4 in the [[House Democratic Caucus]] and 89–77 in the [[House Republican Conference]]) with 5 members voting present or abstaining,<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/98-1983/h289\|title=TO SUSPEND THE RULES AND PASS H.R. 3706, A BILL AMENDING TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE TO MAKE THE BIRTHDAY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., A LEGAL PUBLIC HOLIDAY. (MOTION PASSED;2/3 REQUIRED).\|access-date=May 14, 2020\|archive-date=May 20, 2020\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520080737/https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/98-1983/h289\|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="dewar"/> while the final vote in the Senate on October 19, 1983, was 78–22 (41–4 in the [[Senate Democratic Caucus]] and 37–18 in the [[Senate Republican Conference]]),<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/98-1983/s293\|title=TO PASS H.R. 3706. (MOTION PASSED) SEE NOTE(S) 19.\|access-date=May 14, 2020\|archive-date=May 20, 2020\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520132928/https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/98-1983/s293\|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news \|last1=Dewar \|first1=Helen \|title=Solemn Senate Votes For National Holiday Honoring Rev. King \|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/opinions/articles/solemn_senate_votes_for_national_holiday.html \|access-date=March 11, 2019 \|newspaper=The Washington Post \|date=October 20, 1983 \|archive-date=January 23, 2019 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190123184908/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/opinions/articles/solemn_senate_votes_for_national_holiday.html \|url-status=live }}</ref> both [[veto]]-proof margins. The holiday was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986.<ref name=statute/> It is observed on the third Monday of January.<ref>{{cite news \|author=May, Ashley \|title=What is open and closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day? \|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/01/18/mlk-day-what-open-and-closed-martin-luther-king-jr-day/2612990002/ \|work=USA Today \|date=January 18, 2019 \|access-date=January 20, 2019 \|archive-date=January 18, 2019 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190118213547/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/01/18/mlk-day-what-open-and-closed-martin-luther-king-jr-day/2612990002/ \|url-status=live }}</ref> The bill also established the "Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission"<ref name=statute/> to oversee observance of the holiday, and [[Coretta Scott King]], King's wife, was made a member of this commission for life by [[George H. W. Bush\|President George H. W. Bush]] in May 1989.<ref name="bush">{{cite web\|last=Woolley \|first=John T. \|author2=Gerhard Peters \|date=May 17, 1989 \|archive-date=October 2, 2012 \|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=17040 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002135726/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=17040 \|title=George Bush: Remarks on Signing the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission Extension Act \|publisher=[[The American Presidency Project]] \|access-date=January 16, 2011 \|url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{USStatute\|101\|30\|103\|60\|1989\|05\|17}}</ref> ===State~~-level~~ passage=== Although the federal holiday honoring King was signed into law in 1983 and took effect three years later, not every U.S. state chose to observe the January holiday at the state level<ref name="20180110History.comBlakemore" /> until 1991, when the [[New Hampshire]] legislature created "Civil Rights Day" and abolished its April "[[Fast Day]]".<ref name="nhgov">{{cite web\|last=Gilbreth \|first=Donna \|year=1997 \|archive-date=January 2, 2011 \|url=http://www.nh.gov/nhinfo/fast.html \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102115710/http://www.nh.gov/nhinfo/fast.html \|title=Rise and Fall of Fast Day \|publisher=New Hampshire State Library \|access-date=January 17, 2011 \|url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1999, [[New Hampshire]] became the last state to name a holiday after King, which they first celebrated in January 2000{{snd}}the first nationwide celebration of the day with this name.<ref name="N.H.'s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Didn't Happen Without A Fight">{{cite web \|url=https://www.nhpr.org/post/nhs-martin-luther-king-jr-day-didnt-happen-without-fight#stream/0 \|publisher=New Hampshire Public Radio \|title=N.H.'s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Didn't Happen Without A Fight \|date=August 27, 2013 \|access-date=August 27, 2013 \|archive-date=August 15, 2014 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140815141308/http://nhpr.org/post/nhs-martin-luther-king-jr-day-didnt-happen-without-fight#stream/0 \|url-status=live }}</ref> Line 58 ⟶ 63: In [[New Hampshire]]: "Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Day".<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/xxv/288/288-mrg.htm\|title=CHAPTER 288 HOLIDAYS\|website=[[New Hampshire General Court]]\|access-date=January 14, 2008\|archive-date=April 9, 2008\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409115335/http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/xxv/288/288-mrg.htm\|url-status=live}}</ref> In [[Virginia]]: it was known as [[Lee–Jackson–King Day]], combining King's birthday with the established [[Lee–Jackson Day]].<ref name="newcrisis">{{cite web\|last=Petrie\|first=Phil W.\|url=http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/3783538/mlk-holiday-branches-work-make-work\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150119044638/http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/3783538/mlk-holiday-branches-work-make-work\|url-status=dead\|archive-date=2015-01-19\|title=The MLK holiday: Branches work to make it work\|date=May–June 2000\|work=[[The New Crisis]]\|access-date=November 12, 2008}}</ref> In 2000, Lee–Jackson Day was moved to the Friday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday in its own right.<ref name="lege">{{cite news\|last=Duran \|first=April \|date=April 10, 2000 \|archive-date=July 11, 2010 \|url=http://www.has.vcu.edu/mac/cns/on-the-lege-2000/holiday.htm \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100711171616/http://www.has.vcu.edu/mac/cns/on-the-lege-2000/holiday.htm \|title=Virginia creates holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. \|newspaper=On The Lege \|publisher=[[Virginia Commonwealth University]] \|access-date=January 17, 2011 \|url-status=dead }}</ref> Lee-Jackson Day was eliminated in 2020.<ref>{{cite news \| url=https://www.cbs19news.com/story/42315567/new-state-laws-that-go-into-effect-july-1 \| title=New state laws that go into effect July 1 \| website=CBS 19 News \| location=[[Charlottesville, Virginia]] \| date=July 1, 2020 \| access-date=July 16, 2020 \| url-status=live \| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716120357/https://www.cbs19news.com/story/42315567/new-state-laws-that-go-into-effect-july-1 \| archive-date=July 16, 2020 }}</ref> *In [[Wyoming]]: it is known as "Martin Luther King Jr./Wyoming Equality Day". [[Harriet Elizabeth Byrd\|Liz Byrd]], the first black woman in the Wyoming legislature, introduced a bill in 1991 for Wyoming to recognize MLK day as a paid state holiday; ~~however,~~ she compromised on the name because her peers would not pass it otherwise.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/liz-byrd-first-black-woman-wyoming-legislature\|title=Liz Byrd, First Black Woman in Wyoming's Legislature {{!}} WyoHistory.org\|website=www.wyohistory.org\|access-date=January 16, 2020\|archive-date=January 2, 2020\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102142948/https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/liz-byrd-first-black-woman-wyoming-legislature\|url-status=live}}</ref> ==Observance== Line 64 ⟶ 69: [[File:MLK Day March (Eugene, Oregon).jpg\|thumb\|right\|upright=1.6\|A march in Eugene, Oregon]] Overall, as of 2019, 45% of employers gave employees the day off.<ref name="mlky">{{cite news \|title=Does Observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day Align With Your Company Values? \|url=https://www.yahoo.com/video/does-observing-martin-luther-king-221124283.html \|access-date=16 January 2023 \|date=January 14, 2021 \|work=[[Yahoo Video]] \|archive-date=January 16, 2023 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116233455/https://www.yahoo.com/video/does-observing-martin-luther-king-221124283.html \|url-status=live }}</ref>{{unreliable source?\|date=January 2023}} The reasons for ~~doing~~not soproviding the day off have varied, ranging from the recent addition of the holiday to its occurrence just two weeks after the week between [[Christmas]] and [[New Year's Day]], when many businesses are closed for part or all of it. The [[New York Stock Exchange]] and [[NASDAQ]] both close for trading, and banks are generally closed. Additionally, many schools and places of higher education are closed for classes; others remain open but may hold seminars or celebrations of King's message. The observance of MLK Day has led to some colleges and universities extending their Christmas break to include the day as part of the break. Some employers use MLK Day as a [[Long weekend\|floating or movable holiday]].<ref>{{cite news\|title=MLK Day's crafters urged a day of meaning, service\|last=Stewart\|first=Jocelyn\|date=January 16, 2006\|work=[[Contra Costa Times]]}}</ref> [[File:MLK Day Horizontal Logo.png\|alt=MLK Day of Service logo\|frameless\|right]] ===~~MLK~~National Day of Service=== [[File:MLK service obama.JPG\|thumb\|President [[Barack Obama]] serving lunch at a Washington soup kitchen on MLK Jr. Day, 2010]] The national "Martin Luther King, Jr., National Day of Service"<ref>{{cite web \| url = https://www.nationalservice.gov/mlkday \| title = Volunteer opportunities and resources for organizing an MLK Day of Service event \| website = Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service homepage \| publisher = Corporation for National and Community Service \| access-date = January 16, 2018 \| archive-date = January 16, 2018 \| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180116152708/https://www.nationalservice.gov/mlkday \| url-status = live }}</ref> was started by former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator [[Harris Wofford]] and Atlanta Congressman [[John Lewis]], who co-authored the King Holiday and Service Act. The federal legislation challenges Americans to transform the King Holiday into a day of citizen action [https://americorps.gov/newsroom/events/mlk-day volunteer service] in honor of King. The federal legislation was signed into law by [[Bill Clinton\|President Bill Clinton]] on August 23, 1994. Since 1996, Wofford's former state office director, [[Todd Bernstein]], has been directing the annual Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service,<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.mlkdayofservice.org/\|title=Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service\|publisher=Global Citizen\|access-date=January 16, 2007\|archive-date=June 30, 2009\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090630003246/http://www.mlkdayofservice.org/\|url-status=live}}</ref> the largest event in the nation honoring King.<ref name="slt">{{cite news \|last=Moore \|first=Doug \|date=January 16, 2011 \|archive-date=January 20, 2011 \|url=http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_4429b5c3-3d55-5c08-81d4-e9ac71919ebe.html \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110120150234/http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_4429b5c3-3d55-5c08-81d4-e9ac71919ebe.html \|title=MLK events in Missouri form man's legacy \|work=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]] \|url-status=dead }}</ref> Line 77 ⟶ 81: ===Speeches=== [[Cesar Chavez]] campaigned with him to call attention to the economic needs of [[farmworkers in the United States]].<ref name=ufw/> Chavez used his speech on this day in 1990 to again call attention to the similarity between his campaign regarding [[pesticide application\|pesticide issues]] and King's campaigns.<ref name=ufw>{{Cite web \|url=https://ufw.org/biography-martin-luther-king-jr-praised-cesar-chavez-for-his-indefatigable-work/ \|title=Biography: Martin Luther King Jr. Praised Cesar Chavez for His 'Indefatigable Work' – UFW \|date=October 3, 2019 \|access-date=January 16, 2023 \|archive-date=December 1, 2021 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201184129/https://ufw.org/biography-martin-luther-king-jr-praised-cesar-chavez-for-his-indefatigable-work/ \|url-status=live }}</ref> He later was honored with the creation of [[Cesar Chavez Day]] in imitation of this holiday.<ref name=migration>{{Cite web \|url=https://migration.ucdavis.edu/rmn/more.php?id=476 \|title=California: Chavez Holiday - Rural Migration News \| Migration Dialogue \|access-date=January 16, 2023 \|archive-date=July 13, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713115822/https://migration.ucdavis.edu/rmn/more.php?id=476 \|url-status=live }}</ref> ~~==Outside the United States==~~ ===Canada=== The [[Municipal government of Toronto\|City of Toronto government]] in Ontario officially recognizes Martin Luther King Jr. Day, although not as a paid holiday: all government services and businesses remain open.<ref>{{cite web\|last=Miller \|first=David \|author-link=David Miller (Canadian politician) \|year=2008 \|archive-date=July 7, 2012 \|url=http://www.toronto.ca/proclamations/2010/martinlutherkingjrday2010.htm \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120707073120/http://www.toronto.ca/proclamations/2010/martinlutherkingjrday2010.htm \|title=City of Toronto Proclamation \|website=[[City of Toronto government]] \|url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[City of Ottawa\|Ottawa municipal government]] in Ontario officially began observing this national holiday on January 26, 2005.<ref>{{cite web\| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/mlk-martin-luther-king-day-city-hall-ottawa-first-time-1.3937716\| title = City of Ottawa observes Martin Luther King Day for first time in 2005 {{!}} CBC News\| access-date = January 14, 2020\| archive-date = October 1, 2020\| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201001054225/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/mlk-martin-luther-king-day-city-hall-ottawa-first-time-1.3937716\| url-status = live}}</ref> Line 94 ⟶ 97: ==Dates== '''<big>1986–2103</big>''' Observed on the third Monday in January. {\| class="wikitable" \|- Line 170 ⟶ 176: [[Category:Monday observances]] [[Category:Coretta Scott King]] [[Category:Birthdays by person]]