Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2016

For many individuals across the country, today is a day off from work and school for reflection and recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. However, the history that prompts a day of honoring of a man--and just as important, a movement--eludes many people. 

It's well known that MLK Day is held on the third Monday in January every year, and as our elementary and middle school curriculum has taught us, it's a day to recognize Dr. King's birthday. But for those who recognize that Dr. King's birthday was actually January 15, 1929, it prompts the question: Why is MLK Day always on the third Monday of January? 

Original proposals to celebrate Dr. King came as early as four days following his assassination on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn. But it wasn't until November 3, 1983, that Frater President Ronald Reagan (Iota, Eureka) signed a bill marking the third Monday of every January observed as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. 

A decade later, Congress designated the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service. The Corporation for National and Community Service was tasked with leading the effort. 

MLK Day quickly became known as the MLK Day of Service and a part of 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.  

The Corporation for National & Community Service explains the MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King's vision of a beloved community. 

Dr. King believed in a nation of freedom and justice for all, and encouraged all citizens to live up to the purpose and potential of America by applying the principles of nonviolence to make this country a better place to live. Images of Dr. King delivering his memorable "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and marching from Selma to Montgomery will always stand in history, but now it's our turn to stand with Dr. King. 

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it's only fair we end with a message that rings true today.

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"

Get involved and learn more at MLKDay.gov. 

For more information, please contact:

Daniel Klopfenstein
Communications Specialist
317.872.6533
DKlopfenstein@tke.org