Martin Luther King Jr. Day, observed annually on the third Monday of January, honors the life and legacy of the United States civil rights leader. The move to make this day a national holiday started after his assassination in 1968. However, it faced significant opposition in the years following his death, but through perseverance, public pressure, and political support, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was officially established as a federal holiday in 1983.
The idea of creating a holiday to honor King was first proposed by Congressman John Conyers of Michigan, who introduced legislation shortly after King’s assassination. However, the bill faced staunch opposition from lawmakers who were resistant to honoring King due to what they saw as his radical stances on civil rights, poverty, and the Vietnam War. Critics also cited the cost of creating a new federal holiday as a reason to oppose the bill. This did not deter King’s supporters.
In 1979, after over a decade, the House of Representatives passed a bill to create Martin Luther King Jr. Day. However, the bill fell just five votes short of the necessary two-thirds majority. Despite this public support for the holiday steadily increased, which generated momentum for the bill in the early 1980s.
Finally, in 1983, after years of advocacy, President Ronald Reagan signed the legislation establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday. The bill passed with strong bipartisan support in Congress, and Reagan. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was officially observed for the first time on January 20, 1986, although it was not immediately recognized by all 50 states.
By the early 2000s, Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a symbol of unity, reflection, and activism. It’s important to celebrate MLK day because it honors the life of a fighter for racial justice and equality. Till this day it is still celebrated and remembered by the people of the nation because it honors the fight we have gone through to achieve equality.