Honoring and Understanding MLK Day 2010

Monday, January 18, 2010 is MLK Day. It is a federal holiday set aside to honor the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr, whose birthday was January 15. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday is celebrated the third Monday of every January. It is a day which is closely associated with community service and civil rights.

Martin Luther King, Jr would not live beyond his 39th birthday. April 4, 1968, the captain of the Civil Rights Movement, compassionate pastor, and progressive social justice thinker was gunned down as he stood on a hotel balcony in Memphis, Tennessee.

Despite King's ardent advocacy of nonviolence, riots broke out all over the United States as word spread of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. With one shot a gunman tried to undo all of the Civil Rights progress that had been made with the assistance and leadership of MLK, but because the legacy a man leaves is bigger than his life, the Civil Rights movement would re-organize and press forward with the work which Martin Luther King had begun.

Because Martin Luther King, Jr was such a pivotal player in the Civil Rights movement and his death a martyrdom to the cause, only four days after his murder a movement began to honor his legacy and the social justice for which his name and image have come to represent.

Despite the momentum created by the assassination of MLK, Jr legislation to honor his work by creating a federal holiday on his birthday was fought from its inception. The most redundant arguments against a federal holiday for Martin Luther King's birthday were the expense of adding another national holiday and the fact that adding a federal holiday for an individual citizen was unprecedented. Opponents of an MLK federal holiday presumed that there would be a barrage of individuals and causes petitioning for their own federal holiday.

Much of the opposition throughout the 60s and 70s were thinly veiled arguments based on racist ideologies that wouldn't allow white men to bring themselves to celebrate the birth, life, and work of a black man. Yet, MLK Jr. was one of many great black men who dared to make a difference, no matter the cost. The cost was his life. His legacy would not die, nor his supporters back down.

Martin Luther King, Jr's supporters were joined by Labor Unions, celebrities, and major corporations in their efforts to keep the spirit of civil justice alive and progressing by honoring the birthday of MLK. Still, legislation for a federal holiday was an uphill battle.

The 20th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech refueled the efforts of MLK's devoted followers.

His sacrifice and contribution to Civil Rights was finally recognized under the presidential leadership of Ronald Reagan. In 1983, Ronald Reagan signed legislation that established a federal holiday recognizing Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday and honoring his life's work and legacy. Martin Luther King Jr's legacy continues to echo today for the freedom and equality of all mankind, without exception.

Today, there are still those who resist the recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday, just as there were those who dug in against the legislation in the 80s. Fortunately, the majority of the tide has turned.

I believe that Martin Luther King, Jr. would be proud to know he gave his life for a cause that would continue on, beyond his lifetime. He would be proud to see the progress of millions of Americans who are no longer influenced by the color of a man's skin. I can picture Martin Luther King, Jr smiling when the United States of America appointed a black man to the supreme court, but I see him grinning from ear to ear when Americans overwhelming cast their vote for a black President.

It is said that despite his leadership capabilities and passion for social justice Martin Luther King, Jr was a humble man. May his spirit of humility, service, and justice compel each of us to do something right in the name of social justice to honor the 2010 celebration of MLK's birthday on January 18 and every day throughout the year.

Sources:
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr, Patriotism.org, American History and the Meaning of National Events
King: The history of Martin Luther King Jr Day, history.com
Personal knowledge, experience, and opinion