Houston area observes Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Martin Luther King, Jr.

By Allan Jamail / guest writer

January 20, 2025, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, referred to as MLK Day, is a federal holiday observed and celebrated on the third Monday of January each year.

King, born in 1929, was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement. His movement
protested racial discrimination in federal and state law and civil society; it led to several groundbreaking legislative reforms in the United States.

In Houston and across the nation there were parades and events celebrating MLK Day. This is the 39th year the holiday has been recognized; it was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986. This day was established to honor the life and legacy of Dr. King, and to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities.

This year on MLK Day, the Department of Defense (DOD) joined the nation in celebrating MLK Day. This year it fell on January
20, 2025, coincidentally on inauguration day of President Donald Trump.

Bernice A. King,  MLK’s daughter, told an audience at her dad’s church in Atlanta, the Ebenezer Baptist Church, to stay alert for attempts to rollback civil rights gains.

The campaign for a federal holiday in King’s honor began soon after his assassination April 4, 1968. I clearly remember that 1968 day; it was a sad day for me and so many others. In the 1960’s there was a wave of assassinations on our nation’s leaders. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, and his brother Robert (Bobby) Kennedy was assassinated June, 5, 1968.

After several failed attempts in Congress, President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. Official observance in each state’s law as well as federal law occurred in 2000.

Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964; he was the youngest person to ever receive this high honor. He followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and father by entering the ministry to become a Baptist minister. At the age of 39, he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee as he stood on the balcony of a hotel. Dr. King had traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to lead a march in support of striking sanitation workers.

Jacinto City residents can learn more about King at the library, where kids and teen books on MLK are on display, as well as some titles on the civil rights movement. Librarian Nyla Vela encourages readers to visit the library (located at 921 Akron) to read more about the civil rights leader.

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