WASHINGTON, D.C. –
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., national day of observance is Jan. 17. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., day was established by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, and the first official observance was held Jan. 15, 1986, the anniversary of Dr. King's birthday. In 1992, President George H. W. Bush proclaimed the federal holiday would be observed on the third Monday of January.
On the 25th anniversary of the national observance, this day is a time for all Americans to honor the legacy of a powerful civil rights leader who brought change through nonviolent protest, and it is a time to reflect on the principles of equality and civil rights that
Dr. King championed.
Dr. King challenged our nation to recognize that our individual liberty relies upon our common equality. Through the recurring theme of this observance, "Remember! Celebrate! Act! A day on, not a day off," we are reminded of the strength of Dr. King's leadership and are empowered to transform his life and teachings into service. In 1994, congress designated the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday as a national day of service, and today it is the only federal holiday observed as such.
More information on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., day of service can be found at http://mlkday.gov/. Through our dedicated service, at home and around the world, we honor Dr. King's legacy and reaffirm our common humanity.
I encourage everyone to increase their knowledge and awareness of Dr. King's contributions to American history and civil rights through programs, exhibits, publications, and participation in military and community events. A presentation is available on the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute web site at
http://www.deomi.org/specialobservance/presentations.cfm?catid=1.
More information on the Morehouse College Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., collection, which houses more than 10,000 items from Dr. King's life and work from 1944
to 1968, can be found at http://www.morehouse.edu/kingcollection/ and http://www.auctr.edu/mlkcollection/. You can learn more about the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., national memorial at the national mall in Washington at http://www.mlkmemorial.org/. The monument, which will serve as a place of reflection on Dr. King's life and his vision of social justice for all, is scheduled to open in August 2011.