Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr., original name Michael King, Jr., (born January 15, 1929, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.—died April 4, 1968, 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.

Is Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday?

President Ronald Reagan signed the bill in 1983 and the first federally recognized MLK Day was celebrated in 1986. All 50 states had made it a state government holiday by 2000.

Each year, the nation celebrates the late Baptist minister’s birthday on the third Monday of the first month of the new year. The holiday is observed in communities across the country with educational events, speeches, marches, volunteer drives and cultural tributes to Dr. King’s legacy. In 1994, Congress designated the holiday as a day of service, calling it a “day on, not a day off.”

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Sylvia Skipper

Martin Luther King Jr.

January 16th

Martin Luther King Jr.

January 16th

Events held in Columbus in observance of Martin Luther King Jr.

Is Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday?

Recreating the 1963 March on Washington

Northgate Intermediate

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