Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2018

MLK

Today Americans observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday occurring every third Monday in January, in honor of the life and achievements of a leading figure in the Civil Rights Movement almost three decades ago.

Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister and Nobel Laureate, advocated for civil rights and against racial discrimination in federal and state law through nonviolent activism. Introduced shortly after his assassination in 1968, the holiday was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 and first observed in 1986. This was the first national holiday to commemorate an African American.

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