How the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday became a holiday

Unbeknownst to many, Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday to be named as an official holiday was not an easy feat. It did not happen overnight. In fact, it took 32 years of campaigns and advocative battles for it to happen.

It was only in 1983 when it was officially recognized as a holiday by all 50 U.S. states, to be celebrated beginning the year 2000. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is celebrated as a state government holiday every year on the third Monday of January. This is despite his real birthday being January 15. 

History of Declaring Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday a Holiday

It wasn’t easy getting Congress to declare Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday an official holiday. His supporters and advocators had to work hard and organize various campaigns to make it happen. Some battles also took place because of disagreement on whether or not it should be declared a federal holiday. 

The first movement to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday was spearheaded by John Conyers in 1968. This was proceeding Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. It, however, took another 11 years before the House of Representatives began voting, the official session taking place in 1979. During the voting, however, the declining vote of five representatives caused the bill to fail. It fell short of the two-thirds majority vote requirement, only receiving a count of 252-133. 

This did not stop Martin Luther King Jr.’s supporters as well as those who resonate with his advocacies. Even celebrities and musicians joined in on the movement. In 1981, famous singer Stevie Wonder released his hit record “Happy Birthday,” which commemorates the birthdate of Martin Luther King Jr. 

Actvitists and supporters also conducted a march in Washington, D.C., where 500,000 people attended. During the march, a petition signed by 6 million people was presented to Tip O

Neill, who was the leader of the House of Representatives at the time. 

The petition led to the house conducting another voting session in 1983 where it received 53 votes. There were Senators, however, who were strongly opposed to declaring the holiday. One of the opposing parties was North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms. He accused Martin Luther King of being a communist by presenting a 400-page file alleged to prove the same. Despite this, however, the Senate by 12 votes passed the bill. It was signed by former President Ronald Reagan on November 1983. 

In 1986, the first celebration of Martin Luther King’s birthday as a federal holiday took place. But not all the states recognized it. Only 17 states celebrated it in 1986, with the other states opposing the federal holiday, which led to fights between state legislators. 

The fighting resulted in a voter referendum in Arizona on November of 1990. The movement to impose the holiday lost in the voter referendum, but two years later, voters finally approved it. 

Purpose of Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday 

The holiday that celebrates Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is meant to commemorate the legacy that he had left in the world. His contributions involve civil rights, nonviolence, and public service. The yearly celebration remembers and honors his fight to achieve these values that we have today. 

These advocacies are in fact what caused so much conflict among nations to declare his birthday as a federal holiday. But activitists and supporters did not stop at anything and the holiday finally achieved international recognition. 

The battle to declare Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a federal holiday required a long battle. But because of supporters and activists who fought hard in the past, we are now able to celebrate it every year and remember the King’s advocacies.