Martin Luther King Day!

Today is Martin Luther King Day!

Martin Luther King Day, or MLK Day for short, is a federal holiday that is celebrated on the third Monday of every January. 2024's MLK Day is special because it falls right on the man's birthday himself: January 15. Yup, he was born on this day in 1929. 

Now, how did this day come about, you may ask? Well, it first came about thanks to labor unions, believe it or not. King is most known for promoting non-violent activism when it comes to civil rights, but he also campaigned for labor rights as in his lifetime. These campaigns began after King was assassinated in 1968. A bill to make his birthday a holiday first came to the Congress floor for a vote in 1979. This bill was proposed by Senator Edward Brooke (R-Massachusetts) and Representative John Conyers (D-Michigan). However, this bill didn't get enough votes to pass into the Senate. 

The campaign to make MLK's birthday a national holiday would continue on for decades. Stevie Wonder released the song "Happy Birthday" to help popularize the movement. A petition sent to Congress to pass a law making MLK's birthday a holiday got six million signatures. 

President Ronald Reagan originally opposed the idea, citing cost concerns. In 1983, he signed a bill into law making MLK's birthday into a federal holiday. The bill that made this happen was proposed by Representative Katie Hall (D-Indiana). Appropriately enough, she was the first Black woman from Indiana to be elected to the House of Representatives. The new law would take effect in 1986.

Despite this, several states didn't celebrate the day at the state level. It wouldn't be until 2000 that every state celebrated an MLK Day. 

If you want to learn more about the history of MLK Day, you can read more here. Hope today was a good day for you all.