Events Leading to King Holiday
On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the King Holiday Bill into law, designating the third Monday in January a federal holiday in observance of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The legislation to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first introduced just four days after his assassination on April 4, 1968. Still, it would take 15 years of persistence by civil rights activists for the holiday to be approved by the federal government and an additional 17 years for it to be recognized in all 50 states. Today, it is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer and improve their communities.
King Day rituals began in Atlanta, with commemorative services held on January 15 at Ebenezer Baptist Church, which both Coretta Scott King and Ralph Abernathy attended. These events served as a template for federal holiday ceremonies. The day began with Martin Luther King III placing a wreath at his father’s grave, followed by notable speakers. The congregation sang “We Shall Overcome,” people drove cars with headlights on, and a Black state senator introduced a King holiday bill for Georgia. Many of these activities became rituals on subsequent commemorations in Atlanta.
Hesitancy on Federal Level
Despite the national fervor inspired by King’s death, the bill to create a holiday in his honor languished for years with limited congressional support. However, Democratic Michigan Congressman John Conyers, who first proposed the bill on April 8, 1968 after receiving approval from Coretta Scott King, was not deterred. He continued to reintroduce the legislation every year with the support of the Congressional Black Caucus, which Conyers found helpful.
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