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Image: President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the 1964 Civil Rights Act (78 Stat. 241)* as Martin Luther King, Jr., others look on, 07/02/1964.
Source: National Archives, (The Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library) The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday celebrates the life and legacy of a man who brought hope and healing to America. We commemorate the timeless values he taught us through his example — courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility, and service that so radiantly defined Dr. King’s character and empowered his leadership. This holiday commemorates the universal, unconditional love, forgiveness, and nonviolence that empowered his revolutionary spirit. The King Center has announced the theme for the 2026 observance as "Mission Possible 2: Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Nonviolent Way".
Dr. King was born in the segregated South of Atlanta, Georgia. He entered the Christian ministry after receiving a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology, a Bachelor's Degree in Divinity, and a Doctorate Degree in Systematic Theology. In his lifetime, he assumed many leading roles in the Civil Rights Movement and continuously spoke out for universal justice and peace.
Learn more about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement on the National Park Service's website .
Image: The eternal flame at the gravesite of civil-rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., at the King Center in Atlanta, the capital and largest city in the U.S. state of Georgia.
On August 27, 1984, President Reagan established a commission (98 Stat. 1473 ) to assist in the first observance of the Federal legal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr., and on January 18, 1986, President Reagan signed Proclamation 5431 (100 Stat. 4396), marking the first observance of his birthday a national holiday. On August 23, 1994, President Clinton signed the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday and Service Act (108 Stat. 1565), expanding the mission of the holiday as a day of community service, interracial cooperation and youth anti-violence initiatives. In 1999, Title 4, United States Code, (113 Stat. 1285), was amended to add the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to the list of days on which the flag should be displayed. AmeriCorps is the Federal agency leading the “MLK Day of Service” effort, encouraging Americans to volunteer to improve their communities.
Search GovInfo for tributes and remarks about Dr. King in the Congressional Record and Public Papers of the Presidents collections. Additional Resources *This links to a Statute Compilation, which is a compilation of the public law, as amended, and is an unofficial document and should not be cited as legal evidence of the law. Learn more. About Featured Content Articles – This series of articles aims to highlight content available in GovInfo related to various national observances, commemorations, anniversaries and more. See more featured content articles. (责任编辑：) |
