BY LYNNE INOUYE AND SYDNEY WESCHCKE
STAFF WRITERS
Martin Luther King Jr. was born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He grew to become a renowned activist and was the first private citizen to be honored with a federal holiday after his assasination. It took some time, though, before the holiday came to be.
Four days after his assassination, John Coyers attempted to get Martin Luther King Jr. an offical holiday for his contributions to pushing African-American rights. However, after trying for years and years, Coyers still had no real progress on the matter. It wasn’t until the 1980s that support for the idea started to grow; the Congressional Black Caucus, or the CBC, got 6 million signatures supporting a holiday, and Stevie Wonder wrote a hit song called “Happy Birthday,” raising awareness for the cause. Public support grew until in 1983, the 20 year anniversary of his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, the legislation was finally signed by President Ronald Reagon.
However, this wasn’t quite the end of the ordeal. Despite the fact that it was official, Martin Luther King Jr. Day wasn’t celebrated as a federal holiday until 1986. Not all states recognized it, some believing that the holiday should instead celebrate the leaders of the confederacy. This belief remains to this day, to an extent. Though all states have celebrated it as of 2000, a few choose to honor the confederate leaders, too.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day has faced a long fight in order to be implemented. Despite all the trials it faced, it remains an official holiday today – a way to honor a man who stood for freedom and equality. After reading this article, hopefully you will consider the significance of January 20th this year and reflect on the day’s long history. Thanks for reading!
Sources
https://www.history.com/news/martin-luther-king-jr-day-controversial-origins-of-the-holiday
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1964/king/biographical/