How Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a federal holiday

On January 20, 2025By Littum

The federal government shuts down on the third Monday in January for the day to honor Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy will once again be celebrated and honored Monday in events around the country.

The civil rights icon, whose work to end segregation and racism through nonviolence earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, is the only non-president with a federal holiday named in his honor. Every year on MLK Day, the federal government shuts down and citizens across the United States participate in a day of service.

Here’s everything to know about MLK Day, including how it became a federal holiday.

When is Martin Luther King Jr. Day?

The federal government shuts down on the third Monday in January to honor the day Martin Luther King Jr.

This year, that day is January 20.

The holiday in his honor is intended to honor King’s birthday on January 15, 1929.

The holiday, which happened to fall in line with his birthday in 2024, rarely falls on the actual day. That’s because of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which former President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law in 1968 to make many federal holidays fall on Mondays.

MLK Day coincides with Trump’s inauguration

This year, MLK Day also happens to be the day President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated and takes office for a second term.

It is rare that such a coincidence has happened, as it has only happened two other times: Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2013 and Bill Clinton’s in 1997.

Who was Martin Luther King Jr.?

The Baptist minister first came to national prominence during the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott in Alabama. King would go on to become one of the most prominent figures in the civil rights movement, founding the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957 and leading the 1963 March on Washington.

King is famous for advocating civil disobedience and non-violent methods of pushing back against racism and segregation.

In 1963, King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on the National Mall during the March on Washington.

What does MLK Day mean?

MLK day was designated as a national day of service where all Americans are encouraged to volunteer to improve their communities, according to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture.

Across the country, cities and communities will host ceremonies and volunteer events on Monday.

National is King Center in Atlanta, Georgia is host of a number of events to Monday to remember King and honor those who embody the principles for which he stood.

The The NAACP will also host its annual King’s Day at the dome event, which Vice President Kamala Harris spearheaded in 2024. This year, Jaime Harrison, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, will headline.

When was Martin Luther King Jr. murdered?

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, according to Stanford Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute. He was standing on a second-floor balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.

James Earl Ray confessed to shooting King and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. King’s assassination sent shockwaves through America and is still considered a watershed event in American history.

King, who was 39 at the time of his death, would have turned 96 this month.

How did Martin Luther King Jr. become Day a federal holiday?

The campaign for a federal holiday in King’s honor began four days after he was assassinated.

But despite the national fervor inspired by the leader’s death that was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, legislation in his honor languished for years, according to the National Constitution Center.

It wasn’t until 15 years after King’s death that civil rights activists finally succeeded in making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national holiday.

On November 2, 1983, Reagan signed a bill making the third Monday in January a federal holiday in honor of King’s legacy. The holiday was first observed three years later on January 20, 1986.

Are government offices closed on MLK Day?

Because MLK Day is a federal holiday, federal offices will be closed and federal workers will have a paid day off, according to the US Office of Personnel Management.

Contributors: Damon C. WilliamsUSA TODAY NETWORK

Eric Lagatta covers the latest and trending news for USA TODAY. Contact him at [email protected]