Today is Dr. King's holiday. What Makes This So Important?
A look back at the past
During the 1950s and 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (born January 15, 1929) was a leading figure in the American Civil Rights movement. Although he has widespread notoriety and is one of history's most frequently discussed figures, the United States reserves a special day to celebrate his life and legacy.
Jim Crow laws were enacted in the early 20th century and severely restricted civil rights for African-Americans in certain southern states. African-Americans were effectively classified as second-class citizens and forced to live in segregated communities as a result of Jim Crow laws. African-Americans were barred from using the same public transportation services as white people, including riding in the same bus sections.
The de facto beginning of the American Civil Rights movement and Dr. King's civil rights work
A bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama is widely regarded as the catalyst for the start of the American Civil Rights Movement and Dr. King's civil rights activities. Rosa Parks was a black woman who was arrested after refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. Consequently, the boycott was arranged as a peaceful protest against the city's segregation policies.
The desegregation of city buses occurred as a direct result of the boycott's efforts. This marked a turning point in the fight for civil rights and launched Dr. King into the spotlight on a national stage.
The majority of his legacy rests on the shoulders of his talks.
His legendary "I Have a Dream" speech from the 1963 March on Washington is what he'll be remembered for. His vision for a society in which individuals are judged based on "the content of their character" rather than the color of their skin was laid out in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
Dr. King's final address, “I've Been to the Mountaintop," is a defining moment in American history. There are terrifying allusions to his own mortality and the necessity of the fight continuing after he is gone. On April 3, 1968, the date of the speech, the speaker made his or her remarks. Dr. King was shot dead the following day in Memphis, Tennessee, while he was addressing a crowd from the balcony of his hotel room.
President Ronald Reagan established Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. The holiday is celebrated annually on the third Monday of January, close to his actual birthday (January 15). The day serves as a reminder to everyone that racial and cultural differences, while real, are not insurmountable and must be worked beyond for the greater good of society.