(Undated) — America is reflecting on the legacy of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. While Martin Luther King Day was created in 1983 after the signing of legislation by President Ronald Reagan, the movement to honor Dr. King’s birthday actually began 15 years earlier, days after his assassination in 1968. The first federal MLK holiday went into effect on January 20th, 1986, though several states were still resistant to the idea. Some said King did not deserve his own holiday; several southern states chose to include celebrations for various Confederate generals on that day. In 1999, the state of New Hampshire became the last state to accept the holiday, changing its Civil Rights Day to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He would have been 90 years old this year.
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Alex Tsotsos/am/acc TN) AL) GA)
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01-21-2019 02:33:05
