Although Dr. King’s birthday was actually on January 15th, MLD is always celebrated on Monday January 20th. It was first celebrated in 1986. Originally the holiday was opposed to as it is a federal holiday and some politicians thought there would be too much loss of revenue. Stevie Wonder released a ‘Happy Birthday’ single in 1980 which helped the campaign for a MLD and eventually the passing of the bill.
This national holiday is celebrated to honour the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and to call communities to work together. As was so blatantly evident after the Jan 6th event at the Legislative building, there is much yet to be done. We might ask ourselves what we can do to further equality in our community, our workplace, our world.
On a day when we celebrate the life of a great civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, it is sad that African Americans today are still fighting for equal rights.-the Black Lives Matter march being the most recent demonstration against racial injustice and inequality.
Dr. King is known among other things for his desire for peaceful demonstrations. A quote of his that we might well consider is as follows: The time is always right to do the right thing. Let’s all try to do our part. This would be our greatest way to honour his memory.