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Why Isn t Martin Luther King’s Birthday Honored On His Actual Birthday?
KEY POINTS
His birthday is one of a handful of federal holidays
It took nearly 20 years to honor King with a national holiday
Monday marks nation-wide celebrations in honor of civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr.
The day is meant to commemorate King s birthday. But it’s not his birthday.
King was born on Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta. He went on to become one of the most respected civil rights leaders in American history before he was assassinated in Memphis in 1968.
The last time the federal holiday fell on his birthday was 2018. The next time will be in 2024. Why the discrepancy?
Stevie Wonder had written a movement into the song itself, with lyrics in the fourth verse literally calling into question why there was no federal support for the idea.
In the summer of 1979, Stevie Wonder called Coretta Scott King to tell her about a dream he had.
“I said to her, you know, ‘I had a dream about this song. And I imagined in this dream I was doing this song. We were marching, too, with petition signs to make for Dr. King s birthday to become a national holiday,’ he told CNN’s Anderson Cooper in 2011.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s widow was excited, but doubtful.
The song in question was Wonder’s 1980 release “Happy Birthday,” now lovingly known to African Americans as the Black version of the traditional song.
SHARE Photo by Unseen Histories via Unsplash
According to an annual survey by Bloomberg Law, only 45 percent of private employers closed their doors for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2019. This is an increase over years prior a decade before, this number was less than 30 percent. It’s clear that American values are shifting. You might consider the relationship between Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and your business’ values when reviewing your list of corporate holidays.
Dr. King’s Legacy
Dr. King’s role in our country’s history as an activist, minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner is unmistakable. His leadership during events like the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Sanitation Workers’ Strike and March on Washington accelerated the movement toward racial justice around the country. His famous “I Have a Dream” speech and “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” set the tone for future activists like Stacey Abrams, Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Dera