Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Next: January 18, 2027
A day on, not a day off.
The story
Where it comes from
Martin Luther King Jr. Day honours the life and work of the civil rights leader, who was born on 15 January 1929. A bill for the holiday was first introduced in Congress four days after his assassination in 1968, and it took 15 years of campaigning before President Ronald Reagan signed it into law on 2 November 1983, setting the holiday on the third Monday of January. It was first observed on 20 January 1986, and in 1994 the King Holiday and Service Act made it a national day of service too.
How it's celebrated
Americans are encouraged to spend the day volunteering to improve their communities, and AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service, has led the day of service for 30 years. Museums join in too: the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture holds donation drives, music, film screenings and activities. It is also a day to read or listen again to King's speeches.
Did you know
- It is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service.
- Congressman John Lewis, who co-sponsored the 1994 law, wanted the holiday to be 'a day on, not a day off'.
- It took a further 17 years after the 1983 law for every one of the 50 states to recognise the holiday.
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