This is an accepted version of this page Campaigns Death and memorial Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.,[1] and often referred to shorthand as MLK Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the third Monday of January each year.

The initial idea of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday was promoted by labor unions in contract negotiations.

The success of this strategy was cemented when musician Stevie Wonder released the single "Happy Birthday" to popularize the campaign in 1980 and hosted the Rally for Peace Press Conference in 1981.

[2] Senators Jesse Helms and John Porter East (both North Carolina Republicans) led the opposition to the holiday and questioned whether King was important enough to receive such an honor.

[5] Helms led a filibuster against the bill and on October 3, 1983, submitted a 300-page document to the Senate alleging that King had associations with communists.

When asked to comment on Helms' accusations that King was a communist, the president said "We'll know in thirty-five years, won't we", referring to the eventual release of FBI surveillance tapes that had previously been sealed.

[8] But on November 2, 1983, Reagan signed a bill into law, proposed by Representative Katie Hall of Indiana, to create a federal holiday honoring King.

[19] Later that year, Mecham proclaimed the third Sunday in January to be "Martin Luther King Jr./Civil Rights Day" in Arizona, albeit as an unpaid holiday.

That same year, the National Football League threatened to move Super Bowl XXVII, which was planned for Arizona in 1993, if the MLK holiday was voted down.

[23] On May 2, 2000, South Carolina governor Jim Hodges signed a bill to make King's birthday an official state holiday.

[25] Several additional states have chosen to combine commemorations of King's birthday with other observances: Overall, as of 2019, 45% of employers gave employees the day off.

Additionally, many schools and places of higher education are closed for classes; others remain open but may hold seminars or celebrations of King's message.

Senator Harris Wofford and Atlanta Congressman John Lewis, who co-authored the King Holiday and Service Act.

[45] In 1984, during a visit by the U.S. Sixth Fleet, Navy chaplain Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff conducted the first Israeli presidential ceremony in commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, held in the President's Residence, Jerusalem.

Resnicoff noted that, from time immemorial, there have been those who thought they could kill the dream by slaying the dreamer, but – as the example of King's life shows – such people are always wrong.