Holiday Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr.'s Legacy

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. 

Then-president Ronald Reagan signed it into law. Yet it was not until 2000 that every U.S. state celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day by its name. Before then, states including Utah referred to the holiday more broadly as Human Rights Day. 

Now, the corporation for National and Community Service has declared it an official U.S. Day of Service. It is now part of the United We Serve, the president's national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems, according to www.mlkday.gov.

Here's a roundup of what's closed in and around Montgomery on the holiday:

• U.S. Postal Service -- no mail delivery (express mail delivered)
• Oswego 308 School District -- no school
• Area banks -- most are closed
• Kendall County Courthouse/government -- closed
• Federal/state government -- closed

So tell us — What does Martin Luther King Jr. Day mean to you? What are you doing to commemorate King’s legacy? Let us know in the comments.

Editor's note: Written by Rachel Stern