Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin
Luther King, Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which
is around King’s birthday, January 15. The holiday is similar to holidays set
under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968. President Ronald Reagan
signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years
later. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it
alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed
in all 50 states for the first time in 2000. The idea of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
as a holiday was promoted by labor unions in contract negotiations.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968)

King was the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the Civil
Rights Movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination
in federal and state law. The campaign for a federal holiday in King’s
honor began soon after his assassination.