Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an American Baptist pastor, was one of the most visible leaders of nonviolent activism in the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. His commitment to equality and nonviolence, however, went beyond this arena. For King, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly” (Letter from a Birmingham Jail, August 1963).
King saw close connections between the peace movement opposing the Vietnam War and the civil rights cause. He spoke out against the war not only because he considered it unjust, but also because it was being fought primarily by poor and minority soldiers and drained resources away from social programs at home. In 1967, he expanded his efforts further by beginning the “Poor People's Campaign” to fight economic inequality. This commitment let him to advocate for workers’ rights. The day King was assassinated, April 4, 1968, he was preparing to lead a protest march in support of the Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike.
The campaign to create a federal holiday in King’s honor began soon after his death, but it was not until 1983 that Ronald Regan singed legislation creating the MLK holiday on the third Monday of January each year. It was another three years before it was first observed and not until 2000 that it was observed in all fifty states. Early on, the focus of the day has bee
n not simply on remembering but on continuing King’s legacy by participating in community service. Congressman John Lewis and Senator Harris Wofford coauthored the King Holiday and Service Act, signed into law in 1994. Since this time, the day of service has been coordinated nationally by AmeriCorps. The only other official national day of service in the US, is September 11 National Day of Service.
Loras Library has hundreds of resources available if you are interested in learning more about Martin Luther King, Jr.
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