Every year on the third Monday in January we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr day. Think about what needs to be done to achieve racial equality. Celebrate January 17th for more than a day and take time to reflect and act on civil rights issues around the world.
WHEN IS MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY 2022?
Martin Luther King Day is celebrated every year on the third Monday in January -also MLK Day 2022 on January 17th. King was an influential civil rights activist – best known for his work on racial equality and ending secession in the United States. This day commemorates and celebrates his life and achievements.
HISTORY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY
The unions promoted the concept of Martin Luther King Jr. days as a holiday. After King’s death, US MP John Connery and US Senator Edward Brooke submitted a bill to Congress to make King’s birthday a national holiday. The bill was first passed in the US House of Representatives in 1979. However, five votes were less than the number required for approval. Two of the main arguments of the opposition were that paid vacation was banned for federal employees and that vacation honoring a citizen was a departure from the old tradition that King did not hold public office. At that time, only two other personalities celebrated the national holiday in their honor: George Washington and Christopher Columbus.
Soon the center of the kingdom sought commercial and public support. The strategy continued to be successful when Steve Wonder released the song “Happy Birthday” in 1980 to promote the campaign and hosted a press conference for the Rally for Peace in 1981. Six million signatures were collected calling Congress for the bill, the largest petition for a target in the state’s history.
President Reagan initially objected to the holiday on grounds of cost. But on November 2, 1983, Reagan signed a bill proposed by Katie Hall’s agents to introduce a federal holiday in honor of the king. The bill was passed by the Senate between the ages of 78 and 22 and the House of Representatives between the ages of 338 and 90. This holiday was first celebrated on January 20, 1986. It was handed over on the third Monday in January instead of directly on Monday. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday while following the rules of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.