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Martin Luther King, Jr., Day is a holiday in the United States honouring the achievements of Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister and civil rights leader who advocated for nonviolent resistance against racial segregation.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day | |
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2023 date | January 16 |
Frequency | Annual |
Martin Luther King, Jr., Day is usually celebrated with marches and parades and with speeches by civil rights leaders and politicians. Individuals and organizations also undertake volunteer efforts in support of what is often called the MLK Day of Service.
Why the discrepancy? MLK Day is observed on the third Monday in January because of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, a bill signed into law in 1968 and enacted in 1971. As passed, the mandate moved commemorations for George Washington’s birthday, Memorial Day and Labor Day permanently to Mondays.
April 4, 1968, Memphis, Tennessee, United States
However, despite their efforts to oppose the holiday, neither Idaho nor Arizona were among the last states to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In 1993, New Hampshire had approved the celebration of “Civil Rights Day” instead and it wasn’t until 1999 that the state would eventually recognize MLK Day in name.
In his speeches, and in his life choices, Martin Luther King encouraged others to have a dream and to pursue it, no matter what. In fact, most great leaders and innovators claim that having a dream is the most important part of being a good leader, and the only way to achieve real success.
– “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
James Earl Ray | |
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Conviction(s) | Murder, prison escape, armed robbery, burglary |
Criminal penalty | 99 years’ imprisonment (one year was added after his re-capture for a total of 100 years) |
Details | |
Victims | Martin Luther King Jr. |
Juneteenth | |
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2023 date | June 19 |
Frequency | Annual |
First time | June 19, 1866 (celebration) June 19, 2021 (federal holiday) |
Related to | Emancipation Day |
According to Bloomberg Law, 42 percent of employers in the United States gave employees the day off in 2018. Civil and nonprofit organizations such as universities and hospitals were the most likely to give employees the day off for the holiday; 72 percent gave them the day off with pay.
Martin Luther King Jr. Were he alive today, nearly 47 years after his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, he would be 86 years of age.
Deceased (1928–1998)
In November 1992, voters passed an Martin Luther King Civil Rights Day holiday. Arizona was the last state in the union to formally install an MLK holiday.
Robert E. Lee Day | |
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Also called | Lee’s Birthday |
Observed by | Alabama Mississippi Florida (on January 19) |
Type | State holiday |
MLK taught us that even when the odds are against you, you should not back down on the things that you believe in. Your core values are what define you and when something threatens that, you should fight for what you think is right.
By his bold actions, and by using his God-given preaching talents to lead and to inspire, he motivated hundreds of thousands of others to take action. He showed them new ways – nonviolent ways – to stand up for the Civil Rights movement in America in the 1960s. He helped to change the course of history.
“Juneteenth” commemorates the day — June 19th, 1865 — that 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, and informed the remaining 250,000 enslaved Americans that the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln granted them freedom.
Juneteenth honors the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States. The name “Juneteenth” is a blend of two words: “June” and “nineteenth.” It’s believed to be the oldest African-American holiday, with annual celebrations on June 19th in different parts of the country dating back to 1866.
Holidays like Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, MLK Day, and Christmas are referred to as “federal” holidays precisely because they apply to employees of the federal government. While many private employers offer some or all federal holidays off as an employee benefit, there is no law requiring them to do so.
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of eleven federal holidays recognized nationwide by the United States Government. All non-essential federal government offices are closed on Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., and all federal employees are paid even if they receive the day off.