Holiday Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr.'s Legacy
The day honoring the Civil Rights leader officially became a holiday in 1983 and is now known as a national day of service. Plus find out what's closed around Oswego.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, Jan. 21. For some, the national holiday honoring the prominent civil rights activist is a time to give back and serve the community. For others, it’s an opportunity to educate themselves about King and his life's work. And for still others, it’s a time to just kick back and enjoy the prolonged weekend. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, now a U.S. holiday, took 15 years to create. Legislation was first proposed by Congressman John Conyers (D-Michigan) four days after King was assassinated in 1968. The bill was stalled, but Conyers, along with Rep. Shirley Chisholm (D-New York), pushed for the holiday every legislative session until it was finally passed in 1983, following civil rights marches in Washington…
In this Article:
