Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK Day) is an American Federal Holiday marking the day of his birthday.
It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around King's birthday, January 15.
Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1954 until his assassination in 1968.
Born in Atlanta, King advanced civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience tactics, his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi inspired him.
Among many other things, King led the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and he also helped organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech.
In 1964 King won the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance.
In his final years, he expanded his opposition towards poverty and the Vietnam War.
He was investigated by the FBI, some high governmental authorities considered MLK dangerous and subversive.
In 1968 King was planning a national occupation of Washington D.C., to be called the "Poor People's Campaign", when he was assassinated on April 4 in Memphis, Tennessee.
His death was followed by riots in many U.S. cities.
The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after his assassination in 1968.
President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later.
At first, some states resisted observing the holiday, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays.
It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.
BONUS TRACK:
"Pride (In the Name of Love)" is a song by Irish rock band U2. The second track on the band's 1984 album, "The Unforgettable Fire", it was written about Martin Luther King Jr.
The song contains the erroneous reference to King's shooting as "Early morning, April 4," when it actually occurred after 6 p.m.
Bono acknowledges the error and in live performances and he occasionally changes the lyric to "Early evening…"
"Pride (In The Name Of Love)", Music by U2, lyrics by Bono.
One man come in the name of love
One man come and go
One man come, he to justify
One man to overthrow
In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love
One man caught on a barbed wire fence
One man he resist
One man washed on an empty beach.
One man betrayed with a kiss
In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love
(nobody like you...)
Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride
In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love...
One man come and go
One man come, he to justify
One man to overthrow
In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love
One man caught on a barbed wire fence
One man he resist
One man washed on an empty beach.
One man betrayed with a kiss
In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love
(nobody like you...)
Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride
In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love...
I think that we should have a day for Trajano. Because he was an Hispanic emperor in the Roman Empire who continued the roman expansion until it has its maximum extension. He was one of the best Roman Emperors.
ResponderEliminar"...until it reached its maximum"
EliminarIf I could have the ability to declare any day of the year a festivity for an important person, I would choose the 11 of July because that day Spain won the Football World Cup in Johannesburg (South Africa) in 2010 by Iniesta. So the 11 of July will the Andres Iniesta Day.(This festivity will be all around the world except in Holland)
ResponderEliminar"...thanks to Iniesta's goal"
EliminarAnd except for San Mamés Stadium: the only one in Spain where he's always been booed.
Sheldon Cooper would completely agree!!!
ResponderEliminarFor me another person who should have a day of honour is Nelson Mandela because he always defended the equality in the racial South Africa in a non-violent method, he was unfairly in prison because of defending the rights of every person, and he would become an international mediator and a symbol of equality and freedom
ResponderEliminar"...in the racist/segregationist South Africa" (not racial)
EliminarMiguel Delibes has been (in my opinion) the best writer from Spain of the last century and I'm really proud that he was born in Valladolid. I think that he had to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962 or 1998 ('Las Ratas' or 'El Hereje'). The day that I would declarate in his honor would be the 12 in March (only in Castilla y León jiji).
ResponderEliminarJorge Rueda 1ºB.
"...he should have received".
ResponderEliminarA local holiday then? Why not national?
Hey, what about musicians?
ResponderEliminarPiotr Ilich Tchaikovski, as an example, should have a holiday on December 18 because of his impressive pieces full of a wide variety of famous melodies.
That date stands for the Overture 1812. It is one of my favourite pieces.
Great choice!!
EliminarHowever, when it comes to musicians, my number one choice for a Federal Holiday would be (the almighty) Prince.
I would like to declare on the 10th of August, national day for MIREIA BELMONTE and swimming . Because she is a great example of the Spanish sport.And because in the 10th august 2016, she won the first place at the 200m butterfly event in Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
ResponderEliminarThe 10th of August is a great date to celebrate that holiday wearing a swimsuit and getting wet XD
Eliminar10th August is sublime to be celebrating Mireia's Day at swimming pool. With a heatwave, what is better than having a refreshing bath?.
EliminarA refreshing bath of caféconleche in Plaza Mayor... Oh yeah!!!
EliminarFor me is so hard to say one name but in my life poetry it's importan and I think "Miquel Marti i Pol" deserves one day. He was a famous poet in catalonia leaving us an infinity number of his works. He taught a lot of writing in the Franco dictatorship. The day to do tribute is the day he died 11 of November.
ResponderEliminar"poetry IS important" - "infinite number" - "the day to PAY tribute"
EliminarNice choice!!!
If I could declare a festivity day for an important person, I would choose the 8 of September, Tim Bergling's birthday, more known as Avicii. He created a new way of doing electronic dance music, which I actually find great.
ResponderEliminarIván Cosío
"better known as" - "making music"
ResponderEliminarSorry for your loss!
in my oponion, Concepción Arenal should have a day, because she was the first woman in go to college in spain.
ResponderEliminarby Mireya 1ºAST
"...woman TO go to college in Spain"
EliminarIn my opinion Melendi should have a day because I like a lot his songs
ResponderEliminarTábata Varona 1ºbach "B"
Are you for real??? :O
EliminarTomás from AST 1º.
ResponderEliminarI think it deserves its own Alan Turin day, as it revolutionized the world of computing, creating the first computer. But he was homosexual and he didn´t have that recognition and died in a state of depression and loneliness.
Este comentario ha sido eliminado por el autor.
EliminarAnd the day will be the 7º of June, the death day.
Eliminar"the day of his death"
EliminarIt should have a special day in Spain Francisco de Quevedo because I like his poems and the way he uses the satire. I enjoy to read his plays because of he is my favourite author.
ResponderEliminar"There should be a special day…" - "because he is my…"
EliminarHello teacher,
ResponderEliminarIt is important for all of us to celebrate a special day for Thomas Alva Edison, what would we do withouth the light bulbs or the thousand of inventions?
19 of October will be a great day as it was the day he invented the light bulbs.
The bulb was invented by Nikola Tesla, Edison was jealous of him and Edison only make the publicity, is sad and is an injustice that many people still don´t know that Tesla was the inventor
EliminarAND THE OSCAR GOES TO...:
Eliminar"US inventor Thomas Edison is often credited with creating the solution in 1879: the carbon filament light bulb.
Yet the British chemist Warren de La Rue had solved the scientific challenges nearly 40 years earlier.
He used thin – and thus high-resistance – filaments to achieve the brightness, and delayed burnout by making them from high-melting-point metal sealed in a vacuum.
His choice of pricey platinum for the filament and the difficulties of achieving a good vacuum made the result uneconomic, however.
In 1878, another British chemist, Joseph Swan, publicly demonstrated the first light based on commercially-viable carbon, but his use of relatively thick filaments still led to rapid burnout.
Edison’s combination of thin carbon filament design with better vacuums made him the first to solve both the scientific and commercial challenges of light bulb design."
Este comentario ha sido eliminado por el autor.
EliminarHi! I1m Noelia González.
ResponderEliminarI think there should be a special day for Martin Cooper, since he invented the great mobile phone, and on April 3 if that is the international day of the mobile but it takes the day for its great inventor. It was also Cooper who made the first call.
Who did he call? XD
EliminarCovadonga 1º ASCYT
ResponderEliminarI have thought about the person that should be honored and finally I have decided that there were many people,specifically all women. I would declare a national holiday on women´s day on March 8.And so have a day to rest...with the permission of men of course!
No need of permission at all!!!
EliminarElena Gómez from 1º ASCYT.
ResponderEliminarI think that Federico García Lorca can will have a bank holiday because it is one of the most important writers of Spain and unfortunately he was shooted in the Spanish Civil War. The best day to celebrate his memory it is on 18th of August.
"Lorca should have…" - "murdered in the Spanish…" - "memory is on the 18th..."
EliminarHello teacher! I'm José Manuel Serrano from ASCYT.
ResponderEliminarI think that Spain needs a day of humor. It's good to take life with joy.
I have thought that this day could be called "Paco Martinez Soria"
Paco Martinez was a reference of humor in the 70's in Spain.
The day will be the 26 of February , when he died.
What about "Pajares & Esteso" Day?
EliminarHello! I am Fabiola Muñoz from 1º ASCYT.
ResponderEliminarFrancisco José de Goya y Lucientes should have a special day because Goya was the most important European artist of his time and which exerted greater influence on the subsequent evolution of the painting, his most recent works are considered precursors of impressionism.
Great artist, good choice!
EliminarHello I‘m Helena from 1º ASCyT.
ResponderEliminarI think that Clara Campoamor should have a special day in Spain.
She was born in the 12th of February so I think is a good date to celebrate that she got great archivement for Spanish woman,
"on the 12th" - "achievements" - "women"
ResponderEliminar