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Four days after King was assassinated in April 1968, Congressman John Conyers, D-Mich., introduced legislation to create a commemorative holiday honoring him.
MLK Day is first modern holiday for a private citizen
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Singer, songwriter, producer and activist Stevie Wonder (above) created a song pushing for Congress to make MLK Day a federal holiday. |
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Conyers and Rep. Shirley Chisholm, D-N.Y., resubmitted a bill for the King holiday during every legislative session for a decade. There were many arguments against the legislation; some felt King was not worthy of the honor, and others complained that a paid holiday for federal employees would be too expensive and that a holiday to honor a private citizen would be contrary to the longstanding tradition of honoring only those who held a public office.
After the bill stalled in Congress, organizers submitted petitions endorsing the holiday signed by six million people. In 1980, music icon Stevie Wonder released the song “Happy Birthday,” which became a national rallying cry. Public pressure further heightened during the 1982 and 1983 civil rights marches in Washington.
How does a bill become a law?
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| The process of making a bill become a law can sometimes take weeks, months and even years--as was the case with the MLK Day legislation. |
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Click here to see how a bill such as the one for Martin Luther King Jr. Day becomes law.
Opposition to Martin Luther King Jr. Day
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Even after the bill was passed and signed into law, some states failed to recognize it. Not until 2000 did all 50 states recognize MLK Day as a federal holiday. |
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After 15 years of continuous advocating, Congress passed the legislation, and in November 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a law creating the federal Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The law moved the holiday from Jan. 15, King’s birthday, to the third Monday in January. The first official holiday was observed in 1986.
While Illinois became the first state to adopt Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a state holiday in 1973, several states resisted celebrating the holiday. Arizona did not recognize the holiday until 1992 (current Senator John McCain voted against the law in 1983, though later supported the holiday), and South Carolina became the last state to sign a bill recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday in 2000.
National Day of Service
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Since the first official MLK holiday in 1986, the day has evolved into a day of service for citizens wanting to honor the late civil rights leader. |
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After 15 years of continuous advocating, Congress passed the legislation, and in November 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a law creating the federal Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The law moved the holiday from Jan. 15, King’s birthday, to the third Monday in January. The first official holiday was observed in 1986.
While Illinois became the first state to adopt Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a state holiday in 1973, several states resisted celebrating the holiday. Arizona did not recognize the holiday until 1992 (current Senator John McCain voted against the law in 1983, though later supported the holiday), and South Carolina became the last state to sign a bill recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday in 2000.
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Joplin was able to rise from the ashes because of help from everyone. And I am eternally grateful to anyone who made that possible.
