How Did Martin Luther King Jr. Day Become a holiday?
photo by Dineda Nyepan
“January 20 marks Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the federal holiday that honors the life and legacy of the American civil rights icon who was assassinated in 1968. The holiday is observed each year on the third Monday of January, and the commemoration is the only federal holiday that is “designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer and improve their communities,” according to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The holiday recognizes Dr. King’s birthday, January 15.
But Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday in January due to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which former President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law in 1968. It originally designated three federal holidays, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and former President George Washington’s birthday, to be marked on Mondays.
The holiday didn’t come together seamlessly. Efforts from King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, lawmakers, activists and others took years.
Former U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., introduced legislation to create a federal holiday honoring King on April 8, 1968, just four days after the civil rights leader’s assassination.
Over the next decade, support for the holiday would swell across the country, and several states, including Illinois, Massachusetts and Connecticut, would enact statewide holidays honoring King.
Conyers spent years reintroducing the federal legislation, with support from lawmakers in the Congressional Black Caucus. And in 1979, on what would have been King’s 50th birthday, the bill came up in the House, but it failed by five votes.
The fight to create the holiday didn’t stop at the narrow vote. Coretta Scott King and others campaigned for the holiday and rallied the public.
King would testify before Congress multiple times. She and singer Stevie Wonder, who released his song “Happy Birthday” in support of enacting the holiday, delivered a petition in favor of the holiday with over 6 million signatures in 1982.
The House ultimately approved the holiday in 1983, and though the push to create the commemoration faced some opposition in the Senate, former President Ronald Reagan signed it into law later that year.
The first national holiday honoring Dr. King was celebrated in 1986.
But it took longer than that for states across the country to adopt the holiday, including fights in Arizona, South Carolina and elsewhere, according to the National Constitution Center. The holiday has been recognized in each state since 2000.”
In August, the Office of Community-Engaged Leadership hired 12 Civic Literacy Student Fellows as part of the greater Civic Literacy Initiative. These fellows play a vital role in building an informed, active, participatory student body through peer engagement and campus collaboration. Since their start, the fellows have been instrumental in fostering civic engagement and education across campus. Despite many challenges, including Hurricane Helene, the fellows were dedicated to engaging students in democracy this fall. Here are some of their highlights:
57 Civic Literacy presentations were scheduled for class, organization, and staff meetings across campus. Due to the impacts of Hurricane Helene, 35 in-person presentations were successfully delivered to 642 participants, and the remaining 22 groups were provided a pre-recorded presentation.
40 tabling sessions facilitated by the Civic Literacy Fellows focused on voter education and registration, promotion of Civic Literacy, and post-election engagement
They successfully updated voter registration information for 200+ students between August 12th and October 11th
Party at the Polls: This program, geared towards promoting and celebrating early voting, was a collaboration between Community-Engaged Leadership, Campus Activities, Student Government Association, Club Council, and Young People's Alliance with 400+ students in attendance
Additionally, we strongly believe that the work of the Civic Literacy Initiative has directly benefited students and our campus community. The following are reflections shared from our fellows:
“For me, this position has been my first jump into the world of nonpartisanship. Focusing on education and voter engagement with other passionate people has been so rewarding and refreshing.”
“Working with the Civic Literacy Fellows has been so inspiring, seeing my peers' passion for voting and civic engagement, huge voter turnout on campus, and enthusiasm around learning about the impact of your vote.”
We also believe that increased civic literacy and engagement on campus contributed to a well-rounded student experience. This is demonstrated in the following reflections shared from our fellows:
“I have learned what it looks like to have a dialogue surrounding civics and realize that no matter how different we are, we all pull from the same values that make us human.”
“I have learned life-long lessons on communication through this work. The ability to communicate across difference with others is useful and needed for all parts of life”
The Civic Literacy Fellows are looking forward to continuing their work and engaging students in civic education, post-general election. Be on the lookout for an updated list of events and programs for Spring 2025!
Spring Alternative Service Experience (ASE) Learning Partners Needed
The office of Community-Engaged Leadership is looking for learning partners for spring break. Learning partners need to be faculty, staff, or graduate assistants. Ideally the learning partner would help as an alternate van driver, handle the program's budget, and provide general support to the students. Let Elayna Coleman know if you're interested and want to discuss further! They are hoping to fill all open learning partner positions by January 13.
The Role of a Learning Partner
Learning Partners primarily assist with responding to issues, supporting the student leaders, and logistics such as budgeting and transportation. Student "peer leaders" have been working to plan spring break programs since September. Now, they are looking for professional staff members to support them in their leadership development, provide valuable perspective to the group, and assist where needed. See the information below for a detailed overview of the role.
2025 Programs
Programs and locations are detailed on the ASE website and listed in brief below. If you are interested in serving, please reach out and let Elayna know which program(s) you would be interested in assisting with:
The Elephant Sanctuary (Hohenwald, TN), led by Katie Kyer and Dana Lheureux
Restoration & Exploration at the Coast (Bulls Head Island, SC), led by Devin Axtell and Krista Martinez
Youth Outreach (Cedartown, GA), led by Malli Mason
Affordable Housing in Appalachia (Moreshead, KY), led by Fox Neumann and Campbell Butner - this is a first-time ASE program we are excited to offer this year!
If you have any questions or need to set up a call to discuss the role further, please contact Elayna Coleman at [email protected]. Thanks for considering!
