Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed on the third Monday of January each year. Dr. King was actually born on Jan 15, 1929, but this federal holiday is set, as similar ones are, under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.
Dr. King, a Baptist minister is considered the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.
Throughout the U.S. on this day, celebrations are held, events are planned, and acts of kindness are shown. “The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others.” – Coretta Scott King.