MLK Jr. Day - January

➡️ MARTIN LUTHER KING JR DAY - January 18, 2026

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated each year on the third Monday in January. The legislation to first introduce this day was introduced just 4 days after his assassination on April 4, 1968. It took 15 years of pressure from civil rights activists for it to be approved. It wasn't until the year 2000, another 17 years later, that it was recognised as a federal holiday in all 50 states.

The day honours the tireless dedication of King to the civil rights movement, the achievements he made, and the work still to be done. It also encourages Americans to volunteer and improve their communities in his honour.

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Jump straight to our resources on ➡️ MLK Jr Day

Explore our comprehensive guides on -

• ➡️ Martin Luther King Jr

• The U.S. Civil Rights Movement

• Inspiring Speeches & Sermons

• Nonviolence

• Civil Rights Groups

• The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. 1968

• Black Lives Matter Movement

MLK Day is marked with speeches, parades, marches and commemorative events. It encourages us to spread love and compassion, support Black businesses, donate to social justice causes, and become involved with civil rights groups.

Modern-day rights activists use this day to protest against serious issues such as police brutality, immigration raids, women's rights and reproductive restrictions, U.S. imperialism, and even nuclear weapons.

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The 15 Year Battle for MLK Jr Day

Intense political opposition meant that the holiday was not approved by the government for decades after the idea was first proposed. Many conservative leaders viewed MLK Jr as a radical activist or even a communist and did not want to support this type of behaviour and ideology.

Senator Jesse Helms led the campaign against its approval, organising a 16-day filibuster in the Senate to block the bill. Democratic Michigan Congressman John Conyers, who first proposed the bill, reintroduced the legislation every single year until it was eventually passed.

During the struggle, musician Stevie Wonder pledged his support with the song 'Happy Birthday,' an ode to the late MLK Jr. and a call for official recognition of his achievements.

Stevie Wonder, Coretta Scott King, the wife of MLK Jr, and the Congressional Black Caucus together amassed a petition with 6 million signatures. After two days of intense debate, President Ronald Reagan, albeit reluctantly, signed the holiday into law.

A Day of Reflection & Education

MLK Jr Day today is the perfect opportunity to look back on the progress we have made towards racial equality, justice, and social change, while also recognising how much further we still have to go.

We must continue to work towards MLK Jr's dream. Below we list some shocking statistics on the state of racial inequality in the U.S.

• The Black pay gap is roughly $2.7 trillion, leading to much higher rates of poverty within non-white communities.

• Just 44% of Black families own their own homes compared to 73.7% of white families. Homes located in Black-majority neighbourhoods are worth 23% less in comparison to similar properties in white neighbourhoods.

• Black Americans represent 14% of the country's population, yet food insecurity rates for the Black population are 19.7%.

• Black drivers are 20% more likely to get stopped than white drivers relative to their residential population. Black drivers are then 1.5-2 times more likely to be searched.

• Racial bias in facial recognition means that Black and Asian faces are up to 100 times more likely to be misidentified.

• Between the period 2012-16, Black men were served sentences 19.1% longer for the same federal crime than white men. Black people make up 38% of the population in jails and prisons.

• In 2020, despite only representing 14% of the population, 42% of people on death row were Black.

Let's use this day to continue his legacy, remind ourselves of the power of nonviolent resistance, and keep the fight against racism, discrimination, and harmful stereotypes alive.

"We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent co-annihilation. We must move past indecision to action." - Martin Luther King Jr

Author: Rachael Mellor, 30.12.25 licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

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