The Life and Legacy of Civil Rights Leader Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. will be honored again across the United States on Monday (January 19, 2026) as the country commemorates Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Dr. King, who led the fight against racial segregation and discrimination through nonviolent resistance, remains the only non-president to have a federal holiday named in his honor. This day is marked by the closure of federal offices.
When is Martin Luther King Jr. Day?
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated annually on the third Monday in January. In 2026, the holiday falls on January 19.
The date is associated with King’s birthday, January 15, 1929, and was formalized under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, signed into law in 1968. The law moved several federal holidays to Mondays to create long weekends and reduce midweek blackouts.
Who was Martin Luther King Jr.?
Roar. Martin Luther King Jr. first came to national prominence during the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama. He later became one of the most influential leaders of the Civil Rights Movement and founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957.
King played a central role in major civil rights campaigns, including the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech on the National Mall. His advocacy of civil disobedience and nonviolence helped lead to landmark legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the same year he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The assassination and the lasting impact
Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, according to the Stanford Martin Luther King Jr. Institute for Research and Education.
King was 39 years old at the time of his death.
How did MLK Day become a federal holiday?
It took more than a decade of advocacy, public demonstrations and congressional debate before the holiday was finally approved. President Ronald Reagan signed it into law in 1983, and the holiday was first celebrated nationally in 1986.
Today, MLK Day is a reminder of King’s vision of equality, justice and service—and continues to inspire efforts for social change across the United States.