The long and unrelenting battle to establish Martin Luther King Jr. Day
The decades-long battle to establish to establish Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed annually on the third Monday of January, honouring the civil rights leader near his 15 January birthday.
- The proposal for a national holiday began in 1968, four days after King's assassination, introduced by US Representative John Conyers.
- The holiday faced significant opposition for 15 years due to King being a polarising figure and arguments against honouring a private citizen.
- President Ronald Reagan signed the legislation into law in 1983, but it took until 2000 for all 50 US states to officially observe the holiday, with South Carolina being the last.
- Since 1994, it has been designated a National Day of Service, encouraging Americans to engage in community service rather than just taking a day off, with its reach continuing to expand.