Happy MLK Day! I’m sure everyone reading this blog post understands the basics of MLK day – whether it be due to the fact we have a day off of classes for it, the lessons taught during our years of standardized education, or perhaps due to the message Team Snapchat sent us all this morning. However, I wanted to take a deeper dive into the history behind the day, and felt that my research would make for an interesting read with my Civics Blog entries. Enjoy!
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, but MLK Day as we know it, wasn’t established until 15 years later during the Reagan administration in 1983, and wasn’t officially observed until 1986. Even then, all fifty states only started celebrating MLK Day in the year 2000. So why the hold-up? As we all know, the latter half of the 20th century brought a load of controversy upon the American people, with events like the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement taking multiple decades to conclude. There were calls for Dr. King to have a national holiday immediately after his assassination, but it took a valiant fight in Congress for the day to be established – some of the major fighters in this movement included Dr. King’s Wife, Coretta Scott King, the Congressional Black Caucus, and Michigan Representative John Conyers Jr. Here’s an interesting fact: this day – January 16th, 2023 – is the first time in university history that Penn State has officially celebrated MLK Day. While some may look at the negatives that this implicates, you can alway say that it’s never too late to do the right thing. Various organizations around campus found different ways to give back, so it’s nice to see that making the holiday official led to tangible positive change for the community as a whole.
MLK Day seeks to remind the American people of Dr. King’s legacy, whilst also attempting to inspire us to continue to advocate for positive change in all aspects of living. In fact, a lot of the things that Martin Luther King Jr. fought for during his lifetime are still issues that modern-day governments are struggling to completely rectify. These issues, which includes racial justice, affordable housing, and labor rights, seem to possess a constant presence in today’s media. Therefore, on MLK Day, you can go ahead and enjoy your day off, but also be cognizant of some of the things MLK advocated to change.
If you wish to make a difference, there are a plethora of ways you could decide to celebrate MLK Day, including volunteering at your local soup kitchen, becoming more educated about various issues at both a local and national level, and more! In fact, AllState offers a $2,000 ‘Strength Through Service’ scholarship for those interested in diving deeper into acts of volunteerism.
It is super interesting to learn that Penn State didn’t start celebrating MLK day until this year. I also grew up always celebrating it, so I assumed that we’ve been celebrating this day for forever. I’m sad to find out that the day wasn’t established until after MLK’s tragic death, though I agree that we should celebrate the positive, and the fact that we do have a day in his honor is very special. Thanks for sharing!
Cameron,
This post was so informative about MLK Day. I had always grown up celebrating it since we are all born after 2000, so I had never really considered the idea that this has not always been celebrated. It does not surprise me that it took until 2000 for all 50 states to celebrate MLK Day as we have seen some of the racial issues that are more prevalent in certain regions of the country. That was very surprising to me to hear that this is the first year Penn State has celebrated MLK Day as I always have grown up honoring this day and King’s work through a day of service. This should be honored at all levels due to the great work MLK achieved in his time. I did learn a lot about his legacy that I would have otherwise not known so thanks for sharing! Great posts throughout this semester!
Cameron, I actually did not know that this year was the first year that Penn State recognized MLK Day. Though, throughout my first year here, I did think it was weird that they did not recognize other days like Veterans Day. So, I wonder why specifically Penn State did not recognize MLK Day in the past and why they still do not recognize other days. Anyways, I like how you mentioned that “MLK Day seeks to remind the American people of Dr. King’s legacy, whilst also attempting to inspire us to continue to advocate for positive change in all aspects of living.” I think it is important for society to recognize that this day can be used for a lot of good.
Great post!