Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a holiday celebrated on the third Monday of January in the United States, honoring his achievement throughout his life, including with the Civil Rights Movement and activism. The holiday is closest to his birthday of January 15th, 1929.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a minister and activist; he is prominently known for leading peaceful protests. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 at the age of 35 for his non-aggressive fight for civil rights. Also, he led the 381 day Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 which ended segregation on public buses.

Schools and offices are closed on this day to honor him. This year this holiday was on Monday, January 19^th. This holiday was recognized by all 50 states of the USA in the year of 2000. Additionally, Martin Luther King Day is also recognized internationally by countries such as Canada and Japan.

Dr. King is most famous for his “I Have A Dream” speech he gave during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom at the Lincoln Memorial in DC in 1963; over 250,000 people gathered to listen to this historic speech.

Isabella Jentzsch (11) learned about this holiday in history class by watching the video of the speech and the day off of school was a great opportunity to honor MLK and the good he has done in the Civil Rights Movement. Jentzsch stated, “His leadership played a key role in the end of segregation in the United States”.

Overall, MLK Day is a day in history to remember Dr. King’s achievements with the Civil Rights Movement.