The Story Behind Martin Luther King Day

Martin Luther King Day was the first holiday added to the United States' secular calendar since Memorial Day in 1948. Along with Veterans' Day (1926) and Memorial Day, the day honoring Dr. King is only the third holiday added to the calendar this century. And it is only the second day on the calendar to honor an individual American, the first being George Washington day.

While Martin Luther King Day is an American secular holiday, King is recognized internationally as a leader of the American Civil Rights Movement, and is one of the few social leaders, from any nation, to be honored with a holiday in his name. Globally speaking, the fact that this prestigious honor was bestowed upon a member of a nation's racial minority is still quite rare and such honors are typically reserved for a nation's military or religious figures.

But the establishment of this holiday, this tribute to Dr. King's ideology, did not come with out great struggle, debate, and controversy.

The idea for a federal holiday honoring Dr. King was first brought to Congress by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) four days after Dr. King's assassination in 1968. The beginning push for the holiday was first promoted and largely supported by the nation's labor unions. This may seem surprising to some, but people forget about the connection between Martin Luther King and America's labor unions; instead focusing solely on his fight against racial discrimination. In fact, King's philosophy included justice and respect for all working people. He fought to end poverty for all Americans, regardless of color.

"We believe it is imperative that farm laborers, among the most abused and neglected of all American workers, be included at last among those who benefit from the Fair Labor Standards Act. Today Negroes want above all else to abolish poverty in their lives and in the lives of the white poor. This is the heart of their program. To end the humiliation was a start, but to end poverty is a bigger task. It is natural for Negroes to turn to the labor movement because it was the first and pioneer anti-poverty program..." (Statement on minimum wage legislation, March 18, 1966)

""Negroes are not the only poor in the nation. There are nearly twice as many white poor as Negro, and therefore the struggle against poverty is not involved solely with color or racial discrimination but with elementary economic justice..."(Speaking to shop stewards of Local 815, Teamsters and the Allied Trades Council, May 2, 1967)

As evident from these quotes, Dr. King saw not only a parallel between the struggle for and by labor unions; but also saw labor unions as allies in the fight for a better America. Remember Dr. King was in Memphis to lend his support for striking sanitation workers the day of his assassination.

When Rep. Conyers introduced the idea for Martin Luther King Day he highlighted King's tireless efforts against discrimination based on color, education, and economics. Rep. Conyers supported his cause by outlining Dr. King's work in the fight for the Civil Rights of all Americans. And it was mainly the labor unions that supported Conyers and the King holiday throughout the 1970's.

The pressure from the unions began to dwindle after the 1976 Presidential election of Jimmy Carter. This may have been because Carter was supported by unionists and in favor of the King Holiday, and therefore it seemed unnecessary to continue to pressure Washington. In other words, why waste time and money preaching to the pulpit.

With the labor unions cutting back their efforts The King Center gathered support for the national holiday from the general public and Corporate America. In 1980 musician and social activist Stevie Wonder released a single for Motown entitled "Happy Birthday." Wonder hoped the song would both spread awareness and gather support for a federal holiday honoring the birthday of Martin Luther King. "Happy Birthday" coupled with the 1981 Rally for Peace Press Conference, which Wonder hosted, succeeded in putting the pressure on Capitol Hill. Approximately six million signatures were collected for a petition to be sent to Congress in favor of the proposed holiday. This petition was determined in 2006 to be the largest petition in favor of one issue in the history of the United States.

Following these events, the mass marches on Washington both in 1982 and in 1983 marking the anniversary of Dr. King's speech in D.C. put even more pressure on the federal government to establish the holiday. Along with the pressure from the masses, final opposition was overcome when Rep. Katie Hall (D-IN) suggested an alternative date for the holiday; originally proposed for January 15th, Martin Luther King's birthday.

Many people, civilians and politicians alike, were against the holiday simply because the fifteenth of January was so close to the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Rep. Hall suggested the observance be moved to the third Monday of January instead. The idea of an additional three-day weekend to the calendar, especially one that would follow Super Bowl Sunday, helped seal the deal.

Leading the opposition at this time was Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC). His arguments were based on supposed evidence gathered by the FBI that raised questions as to the moral conduct of Dr. King and any Communist ties he might have had. Sen. Helms and his supporters believed strongly in this evidence that had been deemed top secret until 2027. With help from the Conservative Caucus Sen. Helms filled a suit for the release of the FBI surveillance tapes. This suit was based on the argument that the issue of a holiday for Dr. King could not be properly debated without accurate knowledge as to Dr. King's moral fiber. The suit was denied.

Another element of Helms' argument was based on George Washington being the only American, to date, who had a holiday dedicated solely to him. Helms and his supporters argued that the establishment of a holiday for Dr. King alone elevated him to the status of the father of the United States. They argued further that it raised Dr. King above other statesmen and historical figures whose achievements had gone unacknowledged. The final element of Helms' argument was simply that Dr. King, while having done much for Civil Rights, was not solely responsible for the movement or its success.

Despite his tireless efforts, Sen. Helms was defeated, and on October 19th, 1983 the Senate voted 78 to 22 in favor of the holiday. The previous vote held in the House had been 338 in favor of the holiday to a minute 90 against it. Despite his own opposition for the holiday, President Reagan had stated prior to the Senate's vote, that he would sign the bill if it came across his desk. With vote balance being a veto-proof majority, President Reagan stayed true to his word. And on November 2 1983 the third Monday of January became a federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King.

The story does not end there. Although it had become an official day of observance, Martin Luther King Day was not observed until January 20th, 1986. In 2000, Martin Luther King Day was officially observed for the first time in all fifty states. Various states acknowledge the day with alternate names, Human Rights Day (Utah), Civil Rights Day (Arizona and New Hampshire). Not all companies, private or corporate, close for the holiday. Nor do all schools. But the day is usually marked with some form of observance, be it speeches, lectures, posters of awareness, or on a larger scale demonstrations or community service.