Martin Luther King Jr. Day • Monday, January 15th, 2024

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. The holiday is observed on the third Monday in January of each year.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (born January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.—died April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee) Baptist minister and social activist who led the civil rights movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. His leadership was fundamental to that movement’s success in ending the legal segregation of African Americans in the South and other parts of the United States. King rose to national prominence as head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which promoted nonviolent tactics, such as the massive March on Washington (1963), to achieve civil rights. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after his assassination in 1968. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

To learn more about Martin Luther King Jr. -

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther-King-Jr