On January 16, Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday was officially observed. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around King’s birthday on January 15. King was the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. Jackoby Wilson (12^th) says, “I think MLK Day is just a day to look back and see how far we have not only come as a race but as Americans. What this means to my community is just a symbol of hope. There is still more progress to be made and I’m just glad to see one man could show people that anything can be done.” President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983 to which it was observed three years later.

There were states who neglected observing the holiday by giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed by all 50 states for the first time in 2000. President Reagan originally opposed the holiday arguing that a paid holiday would be expensive. But on November 2, 1983, Reagan signed a bill, proposed by Representative Katie Hall of Indiana, to create a federal holiday honoring King. The bill had passed the House of Representatives by a count of 338 to 90, a veto-proof margin. The holiday was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986. While all states now observe the holiday, some did not name the day after King. For example, in New Hampshire, the holiday was known as “Civil Rights Day” until 1999, when the State Legislature voted to change the name of the holiday to Martin Luther King Day. Dejohna Sanders (12^th) says, “It’s important to honor someone who changed the world for the better.” Schools are closed but it is for a good reason that should not be ignored.