Today is the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ‘s birthday in 1929, with Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day celebrated on January 20th this year.
Dr. King, recipient of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize, stands with George Washington and Christopher Columbus as the only figures to have Federal holidays dedicated to them in the U.S.
According to the Smithsonian’s Natural Museum of African American History and Culture, “On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the King Holiday Bill into law, designating the third Monday in January a federal holiday…”
This legislation to recognize MLK Day was introduced just 4 days after his assassination. Still, it would take 15 years for the holiday to be approved by the Federal government and an additional 17 years for it to be recognized in all 50 states.
Dr. King is most often honored and remembered for his civil rights activism, i.e. protecting people from unlawful discrimination, harassment, or abuse in many settings, e.g. housing, the workplace, school, voting, business, healthcare, and public spaces.
However, what resonates more for KRA is that simultaneously, he was an assertive advocate for workers’ rights, believing that civil rights and workers’ rights were inseparable and that a strong workforce would lead to progress for all.
For Dr. King, workers’ rights encompassed fair wages, safe working conditions, respect, and the right to be free from discrimination based on age, color, disability, gender, national origin, race, or religion. In collaboration with our employer-partners, these principles serve as the foundation of KRA’s commitment to identifying and fostering opportunities for meaningful, equitable, and high-quality employment.
On April 4, 1968, Dr. King was in Memphis to support a sanitation workers’ strike. On his way to dinner, he was struck by a bullet that severed his spinal cord, killing him. He was 39 years old.
Dr. King was a prolific orator and preacher, renowned for many inspiring sermons and speeches. However, I’ve Been to the Mountaintop, delivered the day before his assassination, is perhaps the most memorable due to its prophetic nature.
MLK Day is also designated as a National Day of Service. KRA believes that his life and legacy should inspire all of us to improve the communities in which we live and work—not only on the 3rd Monday in January, but every day.