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The Long Journey to Martin Luther King Jr. Day |
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Martin Luther King Jr. was a key leader in the fight for civil rights in the
United States. After his assassination in 1968, many people believed his
birthday should be made a national holiday. The first push came from labor
unions, and later, two members of Congress, Representative John Conyers and
Senator Edward Brooke, introduced a bill to make the holiday official. However,
in 1979, the bill failed in the House of Representatives by only five votes.
Opponents said it would cost too much and that it was unusual to honor someone
who had never held public office.
Despite the setback, supporters of the holiday continued their efforts. The King
Center, led by Dr. King’s family, gained support from businesses and the public.
In 1980, musician Stevie Wonder released a song called “Happy Birthday” to
promote the idea. He also hosted events to raise awareness. This campaign helped
collect over six million signatures in a petition to Congress—the largest in
U.S. history at that time.
Even with growing support, there was still strong opposition. Senator Jesse
Helms claimed that Dr. King had ties to communists and tried to stop the bill
with a 300-page report. President Ronald Reagan also had concerns about the cost
of the holiday. But eventually, in November 1983, he signed the bill to make
Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday. The first official celebration
took place on January 20, 1986.
However, not all states immediately chose to recognize the holiday. Some, like
New Hampshire and Arizona, resisted for years. In Arizona, the holiday was
canceled by a new governor in 1987, leading to public protests and national
attention. The NFL even took away the chance for Arizona to host the Super Bowl
after voters rejected the holiday in 1990. It wasn’t until 1992 that Arizona
finally approved the holiday.
The last state to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a paid holiday was South
Carolina in 2000. Before that, state employees had to choose between King’s
birthday and holidays related to the Confederacy. Today, the holiday is
celebrated on the third Monday of January in all 50 states. It is a day to
remember Dr. King's dream of equality, and the long, determined fight it took to
make that dream a part of American history. |
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